One of the wildest Elvis sightings in history took place right by the corner of U.S. 51 (Stoughton Road) and U.S. 151 (East Washington Avenue) in Madison. On June 24, 1977, a mere 52 days before his untimely passing, Presley was on his way into Madison after a concert in Des Moines. It was about 1 a.m., and he was in his limo on the way to the Sheraton Hotel, where he was spending the night prior to a concert in Madison scheduled for the following evening.
The limo, one of two in his entourage, was sitting at a red light at the corner of U.S. 151 (East Washington Avenue) and U.S. 51 (Stoughton Road) when Elvis witnessed a commotion happening in front of what was, at the time, the Skyland Service Station. Two guys were beating up another, who was on the ground. Apparently Elvis jumped out of the stopped limo, and made a few karate moves – likely stunning the participants who stopped what they were doing. Elvis reportedly said “I’ll take you on!” and as they processed that this was actually Elvis freaking Presley in front of them, doing karate moves at 1am on street corner, they agreed to stop the fight. After saying “Is everything settled now?” and the youths agreed, Elvis jumped back into the limo and it sped off to the Sheraton, where he stayed the night before his final Madison performance.
Elvis passed away on August 16 of that year, but three guys who lived in Madison at the time always lived on with the memory of when Elvis broke up their fight. (Can you imagine if they had cellphones back then? The pictures and stories would have been epic!)
You can stand right this occurred on June 24, 1977, by going to the southwest corner of East Washington Avenue (U.S. 151) and Stoughton Road (U.S. 51). Today, it’s a Schoepp Motors dealership; the marker – which is hard to spot while driving by – is right by the sidewalk a few hundred feet southwest of the intersection. Wear your Elvis costume and sideburns when you visit, if you can!
Elvis Presley Fight Scene Marker Address:
3618 E. Washington Avenue/U.S. 151
Madison, WI 53704
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