City officials will vote on a request from the Ocala Sunset Rotary Club to designate a historic marker commemorating the day that 10-year-old Tom Petty visited Ocala and met Elvis Presley on the set of Follow That Dream.
The Ocala City Council will issue a final decision on the ordinance during its regular meeting on Tuesday, December 16.
Paul Stentiford, representing the club, submitted the application for the marker titled “Elvis in Ocala, Tom Petty Inspired.”
The designation would formally recognize Presley’s visit to Ocala in July 1961 to film scenes for the movie at the former Commercial Bank and Trust Company, which is located at 117 East Silver Springs Boulevard.
It was during this production that Petty’s uncle, Earl Jernigan, who was working on the set, invited his nephew and family to watch the filming.
Petty, who was living in Gainesville at the time, later described the encounter as a pivotal moment in his life. In interviews, he recalled being “dumbstruck” by Presley’s “supernatural presence,” noting that he went home a “changed man” and immediately began seeking out Elvis records.
Although he previously had no interest in music, Petty stated that the brief meeting with “The King” left him “hooked” on rock ‘n’ roll.
That childhood spark eventually led to a Hall of Fame career. Petty, who formed the Heartbreakers in 1976, sold over 80 million records worldwide, and won three Grammy Awards before his death in 2017.
If approved, the marker will memorialize the Ocala location where one rock icon unknowingly inspired the next.
Follow That Dream premiered on April 11, 1962. The movie is based on Richard P. Powell’s 1959 novel “Pioneer, Go Home!,” which was a bestseller for the author.
The film follows the Kwimper family, who break down on a southern highway project and decide to claim squatter’s rights.
The Ocala City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).