A Hunka Hunka Burning Shrub

In his fleeting 42 years of life, Elvis Presley became the ultimate rock and roll idol. Everyone has a favorite image of Elvis, and there’s a Halloween costume for every personality — whether it’s sneering, gyrating, and truncated at the waist on the Ed Sullivan Show; pouty-lipped in an Army uniform, slim-hipped and dangerous in black leather in the ’68 comeback special; or pompadoured and vacuum-packed into a rhinestone-studded white jumpsuit à la 1973’s Elvis in Hawaii. Which is your favorite? Decide and then get all dressed up for Elvis Night, a one-of-a-kind evening that’s part of the newly restarted Thursday Nights at Fairchild series.

Each week from 6 to 9 p.m. through May 28, visitors can look forward to a different themed affair, each offering live music, food, refreshments, and stunning art juxtaposed against verdant backdrops and starry skies. The ongoing art exhibit features five monumental sculptures by Mark di Suvero, and this Thursday’s fiesta is all about the King. Expect karaoke and a costume contest, and FYI, all attendees dressed like Elvis get in free. If you’re looking for “a little less conversation, a little more action,” you know where to find it: at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables. Admission is $15 for nonmembers. Visit fairchildgarden.org.
Thursdays. Starts: Jan. 29. Continues through May 28, 2009