’Tis the season for Christmas parties, complete with eggnog and mistletoe and caroling. But on Friday the residents of Chateau du Lac celebrated the Yuletide season with a shot of old-time rock ’n’ roll.

More than 100 residents were treated to lunch with The King as Elvis impersonator Dennis Soileau sang Presley classics as part of Phillips 66’s eighth annual Christmas celebration for Chateau du Lac residents.

Dressed in a black jumpsuit designed with gold studs and red jewels, a red scarf, black boots and side burns that seemed to have been grown for the occasion, Soileau swung his hips and serenaded the ladies with renditions of “Hound Dog,” “All Shook Up,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and other Elvis favorites.

Soileau, a veteran machinist at Phillips 66, said he performs to keep Presley’s memory alive and to see the joy in the audience’s faces.

Soileau said he has performed as Elvis for nearly 10 years, including several shows at Graceland. His first performance, he said, had a profound effect on a female member of his audience.

“I performed ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ at Camp Hope Nursing Home, and I grabbed this lady’s hand and she started singing,” Soileau said. “Everybody in the place started crying, and I thought, ‘Man, I must be terrible.’ When I finished the song the activities director came over to me and said that it was the first time that woman ever spoke in the nursing home.”

Volunteers from Phillips 66 and LaGrange High School joined Santa Claus in bringing lunch and gifts to more than 200 of the complex’s residents, including those who could not make it to the show.

Steve Geiger, Phillip 66’s plant manager, said the Christmas party at Chateau du Lac is an event for which he doesn’t need to seek volunteers.

“The people here greatly enjoy it, and we get enjoyment out of it as well,” he said. “Our people tell us that they want to do it again next year and that they feel great when they leave.”(Rick Hickman/American Press)

Rick Hickman