After cocktail hour, we tucked towels and lawn chairs under our arms and walked over to the Elks Lodge #201 on Dawson for the Viva Las Vegas Pool Party Benefit. The swimming pool, built in 1961, possesses an enviable view of the Austin skyline (although I’m guessing it once included the Capitol Building).

The burgers were on the grill and the kids were in the pool leaving the grownups free to shout neighborly conversations over the live music. After dark, we descended to the field below to watch Elvis and Ann-Margret swivel through Las Vegas. When Elvis corrals some unruly Texans by crooning a medley of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You” the movie became a sing-along. The audio track was never quite synced with the video–a flaw disturbing in dubbed movies, fatal in musicals. Such technical difficulties added immeasurably to the spoof factor.