Elvis Karate Fight Plaque – Madison, Wisconsin - Atlas Obscura
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Elvis Karate Fight Plaque

Madison, Wisconsin

A stone marker memorializes the spot where the King broke up a street fight with a classic karate stance. 

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Worth visiting because he is the king ange1a (Atlas Obscura User)
6/19/2022 image with visible plaque text. NE corner of intersection. tikiman7 (Atlas Obscura User)
Look for this FCC building to find the Plaque R Stemple (Atlas Obscura User)
As of May 24, 2018 - the plaque is not there. Bennyjammin (Atlas Obscura User)
The plaque is back! 12/28/19 stumpbryan (Atlas Obscura User)
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Elvis once broke up a street fight in Madison, Wisconsin.

On June 24, 1977, Elvis Presley, while riding to Madison from the airport, noticed a street fight in progress at what was then a Skyland service station. While his limo was stopped at the nearby red light, the King ran from the car and threatened the combatants with a classic karate stance.

The young men recognized Elvis and stopped fighting in favor of shaking hands with the star. Elvis reportedly left after ensuring that everything was settled and taking time to shake hands with several onlookers. Elvis died 52 days later. The incident was reported by Thomas Still for The State Journal, who called it Presley’s biggest brawl since Jailhouse Rock.

A plaque to commemorate the event is installed where the gas station once stood. It shows Elvis with a guitar and in a pseudo-karate stance and describes the incident. 

Update: As of July 2019 the description of the incident is no longer there, but the plaque and Karate Elvis remains.

Know Before You Go

It’s near a parking lot of Schoepp motors. There are "No Parking" signs nearby on the FCC Antenna building. Corner of Stoughton and Washington.

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