MEMPHIS, TN. (Top40 Charts/
Elvis Presley Enterprises) -
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. today announced that a John Deere tractor regularly used by Elvis on his Mississippi ranch and at his home at Graceland has been fully restored and will be placed on public display, beginning May 8 at the
Elvis Presley Automobile Museum � located at the national historic landmark Elvis Presley's Graceland.
The restoration has been a cooperative effort between Elvis Presley Enterprises and John Deere � an initiative that also includes future sales of die-cast replicas of Elvis' tractor. Students at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi restored the tractor with guidance from John Deere.
'This fully restored John Deere tractor helps us tell an important part of the Elvis Presley story by showing the playful and human side of him,' said Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. 'It's been a fixture at Graceland for years and now it looks absolutely brand new.'
Elvis acquired his John Deere 4010 tractor with the purchase of a Mississippi ranch in 1966. Having grown up around farming in Tupelo, Elvis knew he needed the best equipment possible to care for the land he had just purchased. Family members and close friends of Elvis tell stories about how much fun he had while working with his tractor.
After Elvis sold the ranch, the tractor moved to Graceland and was used to maintain the beautiful landscaping on the property for decades. Graceland visitors have for years seen the tractor when visiting the historic landmark.
Graceland replaced the John Deere with a new model recently and decided to prepare the old tractor, which had served for nearly 50 years, for display in the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum.
In celebration of this new exhibit, a special-edition, die-cast version of the tractor will go on sale in November at authorized John Deere dealers nationwide, on ShopElvis.com and at Graceland. Increasing the collectible nature of this edition will be the inclusion of the 46A loader which is rarely found on die-casts.
Elvis' John Deere 4010 tractor Series 213, is a general purpose diesel tractor that was built at the John Deere Waterloo Works, in Waterloo, IA. It was sold at a John Deere dealership in Tunica, MS and also included a 46A John Deere loader, a rare combination making the tractor unique.
The John Deere 4010 tractor was among four models in the company's "New Generation of Power" � a four-cylinder tractor line that had been introduced by John Deere in 1961 and helped propel the company to become the world's leading manufacturer of agriculture equipment, a position it retains still today.
'On behalf of all units of John Deere, we are pleased to play a part in this cooperative effort to move the retired and restored John Deere 4010 tractor to the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum,' said Cheryl Salley, manager, community relations and corporate contributions, Deere & Company. 'We are confident this new display will appeal to fans of both John Deere and Elvis Presley.'
Northwest Mississippi Community College and John Deere work together to offer training to develop entry-level technicians to the required high standards of technical expertise, culminating in a career as a John Deere dealership service technician.
"We were honored to have been chosen for this restoration project. This is something that our students will remember for the rest of their lives," said Shane Louwerens, agricultural technology instructor at the college.
For more information on visiting Graceland and seeing Elvis' John Deere tractor on public display, visit www.elvis.com. For more information about John Deere, visit www.johndeere.com. For more information on Northwest Mississippi Community College, visit www.northwestms.edu.
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ABOUT ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is based in Memphis, with additional offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and television, film, video and Internet projects. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit www.elvis.com. EPE is a subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (www.ckx.com), a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbol CKXE.
