The Elvis Explosion, Sept. 9-11, is the largest of 12 regional contests for Elvis tribute artists and draws top performers from as far away as Los Angeles, New York and even England to compete for a $5,000 prize.

But you have to have someone who knows Elvis to pick out the best and Mark Viner has made his mark in the world of Elvis entertainers.

About 14 years ago, Viner first slipped on the garments of the King and has been an Elvis entertainer ever since. It was for his birthday party - a costumed affair - when Viner first put on his Elvis costume and hired a band. "It just went from there," he said.

Viner has also competed in his fair share of contests. "I've won a lot of large venues and I've lost a lot of large venues." But losing one competition doesn't slow the performers down, said Viner. They can lose one competition and move on to the next and win that one. It all depends on the day.

Viner's days in competitions are over. He said it's been about five years since he competed in a Elvis contest and listed a few good reasons why he stopped.

"I'm 43," said Viner. Plus, he added, it takes a whole weekend to compete - time he'd rather spend doing other things.

Viner runs two businesses, Topps Elite Tent Rental and Emma's Dinner, with his wife Kathy. The diner is named after his 8-year-old daughter, who is another good reason to be a family man instead of chasing the life of Elvis.

Although Viner's days as a competitor may be done, he hasn't hung up his sequenced jumpsuit yet. He still performs an Elvis Tribute Show at parties and at Emma's Diner from time to time.

But at the upcoming Elvis Explosion, Viner puts down the microphone and picks up pencil and score sheet to judge the contestants.

Judging is based on the performer's voice, look, creativity, performance and crowd perception, among other qualities, said Viner. One important role performers are judged on is their ability to fire up the crowd and keep them going.

And with all the good Elvis tribute artists coming to the Explosion, competition will be tight, said Viner. Sometimes the spread in points between the top and bottom artist is as little as five points. That's a lot of good Elvises.

Viner credits producer and emcee Ronnie Craig for the Elvis Explosion's success. He has done a good job as producer, lining up two key elements, said Viner: the performers and a good band for the show.

Some productions use recorded tracks, which gives it a "karaoke" feel. The band gives a better atmosphere, said Viner and makes it all come to life.

The Elvis Explosion might not be for everyone, but there are plenty of diehard fans, said Viner. Some people line up two-hours early for the show to make sure that they get the goods seats. That's not surprising, though.

"The show will be five hours of Elvis," Viner said.