For Nottawa's Lance Dobinson, participating in the Collingwood Elvis Festival has helped build his confidence as a performer. He says this confidence is helping him develop a career in music. Lance has been living in the Collingwood area for close to eight years. He has participated in the Collingwood Elvis Festival for five years. He has recently completed high school and hopes to move on to study music. "Without Elvis Presley, I don't know where I'd be" he said. "I just love his music, I love singing and I love keeping it alive" he said. You can see the passion for performing in his eyes. If you have seen him on stage, you know performing is in his blood. Lance recently auditioned for a spot on Canadian Idol. He says the experience gathered from performing at the Collingwood Elvis Festival over the years definately helped him on the Canadian Idol stage. "It pumped me up, giving me more strength to do what I want to do, and that's to perform" he said. "I even sang one of his songs" he added, referring to his singing of an Elvis Presley song at his Canadian Idol audition. For all of the international recognition the Collingwood Elvis Festival receives, it's nice to see a local performer benefit from the festival. Watch for Lance Dobinson on stage at this year's Collingwood Elvis Festival

-Photos, video and audio provided by Paul Richards, CollingwoodLiving.com.