No longer shook up

VALLEY, Wash. – Joshua Kogler strummed his electric guitar, ignoring his father’s complaints about the noise and interjecting comments as his mother boasted about the teen’s ongoing musical performances.

It was a much different scene than August 2006, when Merlene and Henry Kogler had to tell their son, then 12, that a wildfire had destroyed the family home in this southern Stevens County community, along with their belongings.

Joshua cried as his mother explained the guitar and white jumpsuit he planned to use during his upcoming Elvis performance had “melted.”

But when word got out about the family’s losses, replacements were quick in coming.

The guitar the 14-year-old plays to aggravate his dad these days was donated just days after the wildfire that left a 460-acre black scar and destroyed the homes of four families, including the Koglers.

The Elvis jumpsuit he wore this month during a performance was a donation that arrived just in time for that 2006 performance. There were gifts, too: a skateboard; a television; everyday clothes; a handcrafted Elvis quilt; assorted Graceland memorabilia from Memphis tourism promoters.

The used mobile home where Joshua practices his “Viva Las Vegas” routine was another gift to the Kogler family. It’s nestled on the forested property about 45 miles north of Spokane, where the couple have lived for 15 years.

“We had to start from scratch,” Merlene Kogler said recently. “You go from day to day, and that’s about it. But we have a roof over our heads.”

Joshua’s Elvis performances have become a bit of a legend. He performs regularly at the community’s summer fair and during holiday events. He occasionally entertains the elderly that his mother helps care for.

With a complete collection of Elvis music on hand – also a post-fire donation – he has his pick of songs to mimic.

Joshua said he even has Elvis on his iPod.

While his parents are proud of the teen’s musical ambitions, the family has struggled.

They’ve pieced together a home through donations and garage sale shopping. “The couch was donated, but we bought the chairs,” Merlene Kogler said.

Since the wildfire, the family’s biggest challenge has been trying to replace Henry Kogler’s green card, which was destroyed in the blaze. Kogler, who was born in West Germany, has been unable to work without it.

They paid $260 for a new one that never arrived – apparently lost in the mail, Merlene Kogler said. Good news came recently when the family learned the card should be here this month.