Tonganoxie ? Elvis lives here.

Now he does, anyway, in Loralee Stevens’ backyard, 424 Shawnee St.

He’s got the curly-Q of black hair on his forehead, a jumpsuit, a wiggle in his hips and a microphone.

He’s even got a pair of blue suede shoes.

Elvis stands on a tree trunk, thanks to the handiwork of chain saw carver and artist Russ Ehart.

Ehart splits his time between McLouth and New York, and he has carved several different figures.

“I thought that if I’m going to have some giant yard art, I might as well go for Americana at its finest,” Stevens said.

Stevens recently moved back to her hometown from Lawrence, and she had some concerns that a large locust tree could fall on her home during a major freeze.

Her father, Dr. Phil Stevens, has a Daniel Boone carving by Ehart in his yard, and he convinced her to save the tree’s trunk so Ehart could work on it.

Loralee Stevens, her son, Simon McKinney-Stevens, and her father, Dr. Phil Stevens, all of Tonganoxie, admire the new Elvis statue carved with a chain saw by McLouth artist Russ Ehart at Loralee's home.

Stevens dedicated Elvis before about 50 friends and neighbors during her house-warming party Saturday evening.

Elvis had the spotlight on him, and they ate one of his favorite foods, peanut butter and banana sandwiches. They also pondered the Elvis quote: “Ambition is nothing but a dream with a V-8 engine.”

They also boogied to “Blue Suede Shoes.”

“It’s impressive. I was definitely taken by surprise by it,” said Saul Epstein, one of Loralee Stevens’ coworkers at Johnson County Community College.

Ehart finished the carving this week. He painted the microphone silver, and he gave Elvis black hair and blue suede shoes.

The rest is all the natural color of the locust wood with some added outdoor varnish to guard against the elements.

Loralee Stevens said some of the neighbors curiously watched Ehart work, and they seemed pleased with the finished product.

“I missed the Elvis era growing up and didn’t know what all the fuss was about, really,” she said.

But she came around after a visit to Graceland.

“I realized why he has so many loyal fans. He was talented and prolific in his work,” she said. “During a time of racial discrimination in this country, he didn’t discriminate.

“He loved his momma. He liked to boogie. He was original. He reinvented himself over and over, and he was very strikingly handsome in his day.”