Elvis's big hair(cut)

Southern Living, Nov 1997

Joining the military comes with a free haircut. Elvis Presley received his famous lock chop right here in Fort Smith at Fort Chaffee, when he was inducted into the U.S. Army March 24, 1958.

Fitting Elvis into the frontier history of the town, however, isn't exactly easy. "Of course Elvis did a couple of Westerns, but even those are questionable," says Dee Carroll, convention and visitors bureau director.

But when the government added Fort Chaffee to the list of military sites to be shut down, Jan Honeycutt decided it was time to make a place for the King. She and her special education students began a project to save the barbershop where the trim took place from demolition.

For now, fans can fixate on Elvis memorabilia at the Old Fort Museum, where his photos are included in a history of Fort Chaffee exhibit. This year is the 20th anniversary of the King's death, and next month is the 40th anniversary of the draft notice that sent millions of women (and Elvis's agent) crying.