Elvis Presley Makes A Visit to the Ridge

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It was a warm sunny day in the little town of Ridge Farm, Ill. The sidewalks were bare as small towns can be sometimes on Sunday afternoon.

As I was alone in the small restaurant setting upt tables for the evening customers, when I glanced out the window to see three young men getting out of their car. Two of them ordered their food while the other young man had walked over to the juke box and stood scanning the list of songs displayed there. I walked over to the juke box and asked if he would please give me his order a I was busy and needed to get on with my chores. He replied, “Will you ask your boss to plug one of my records? I gave him my check order pad to write down the name of the record, which he did, and I asked him what his name was. He evidently thought that I knew him. I am 5 feet tall, and I can still remember this tall, sandy-haired young man looking down at me surprise. I said, “Well, should I know you?” He shrugged his shoulders saying, “Well, I guess not!” He then signed his name and handed me back my check order pad.

When he paid the check, he remarked that he was on his way down to Memphis to see his mother.

The following Sunday while watching the Ed Sullivan Show I couldn’t believe my eyes! The young man I had cooked a cheeseburger and French fries for came out on the stage and sang!

I frantically started looking to see if I could find my check order pad that he had written on the back page for me. I put the page in my scrap book never dreaming Elvis Presley would ever be so famous. I’ve had the autograph for so long in a safe place and have told my story many time. When I became a high school art teacher, the students always wanted to hear my story of then I cooked cheeseburgers and French fries for Elvis Presley and his friends who became famous the world over!

PS I was the only person in town to see Elvis.

Ruth Blakeney Robertson

Abraham Smith, a venturous farmer, moved his farm from Tennessee to the glacial ridge in 1839 and called it his "Farm on the Ridge" or "Ridge Farm." He opened a post office, blacksmith shop, inn, tavern and a general store.