Main Street Fire House Articles
First Visit To Disneyland: Unforgettable
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For many years, Disneyland which celebrated its 56th anniversary this past July 17 was a place we thought we might never see. Since 1972, we were "regulars" at Walt Disney World, yet Disneyland was as far away in distance as it was in our travel plans.
We finally broke down and made it to The Happiest Place on Earth in Anaheim, Calif., in late July, 1998, some 43 years after Walt Disney's fabled ...
New Disneyland Attractions Provide Endless Summer Fun
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Say the word "Disneyland" to any child and you're sure to get a smile.
KSL got an inside look at some of the new attractions at one of the world's famous amusement parks.
If Minnie Mouse doesn't get you moving, then maybe Pluto, or Goofy, or Donald Duck or Mickey himself will get you all revved up for Disneyland's Soundsational Summer.
"The Soundsational Summer is two new attractions and a ...
California_vs. Paris: Main Street USA
This month, I shall be comparing the Main Street, U.S.A.'s which can be found in the Disneylands closest to my heart (California and Paris).
Both are based loosely on Walt's home town of Marceline Missouri. Anaheim's is set in 1910, as part of the original idea that various Lands were set in years when Halley's Comet could be visible from Earth. According to themed studs in the pavement, Main Street ...
12 Unique And Magical Memories To Be Made At Disneyland
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When visiting Disney, many families head straight for the E-ticket rides, from Space Mountain to the Matterhorn to Dumbo. But in doing so they not only spend a whole lot of time in long lines, but they miss out on so many magical moments and memories that can be made at the "happiest place on earth.' Though these attractions are less popular, they are just as special and endure in family memories far ...
Tour Visits Walt Disney Apartment
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Disneyland Park has revamped its "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour with new attractions and a new price.
The new tour is called "Walk in Walt's Disneyland Footsteps" and it began on Sunday, according to park employees. The Disney Parks blog announced the change in August without providing details.
But booking agents I talked to both at the park and on the phone say that it includes Walt Disney's ...
At Disneyland Even The Plants Have A Purpose
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Did you know that the trees and flowers planted throughout Disneyland were as well thought out as the design of the attractions and lands themselves?
I didn't.
In scurrying from one attraction to the other, I must admit that I never paid much attention to the foliage until I took Disneyland's two-hour "Cultivating the Magic" tour during which the guide talked of how the hundreds of varieties of ...
Disneyland: A Personal Perspective of a Dream Come True
I never thought I would get a chance to work at Disneyland. This was my life's' goal - to be a Cast Member.
Growing up in the Southern California desert, we were close enough to get to visit Disneyland at least once a year. The 2-hour drive seemed to never end until I or my siblings could finally see the tip of Space Mountain from the freeway - we were there! I held onto the magic between visits, ...
Walk In Walt's Disneyland Footsteps Tour
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It is hard not to be impressed when your tour guide is so passionate about their subject matter that they break down in tears. This was not a scripted gesture. Rather this was the result of a deep seeded and sincere love for the subject matter. In this particular tour the subject was the one and only Walt Disney. I'll get to what brought on the water works later. For now, let me tell you a bit about what ...
Retired Marine Ernie Napper Adds Life To Disneyland's Flag Retreat
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After Disneyland closes for the night, the security officer stands alone under the Main Street flagpole getting ready to go home. He looks up at the light still burning in the apartment window above the firehouse, and tips his hat.
"Goodnight, Mr. Disney," Ernie Napper says to himself. "The flag retreat ceremony was beautiful again tonight, sir. Big crowd with lots of kids and old veterans. You would ...
7 Disneyland Secrets That Will Transform Your Trip
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Whether you're young, or just young-at-heart, the magic of Disneyland appeals to the child in all of us. But each of us gets something different from the experience -- some have an adventurous side that longs for the thrill of the scariest ride, some have a girly side that wants nothing more than to meet the dazzling princesses of the park, some have an indulgent side that loves the wide array of food and ...
Disneyland 60 Things You Might Not Know About The Magic Kingdom
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TV show named "Gunsmoke" made its debut, and another named "Make Room for Daddy" won two Emmys. Elvis Presley and Pat Boone had young hearts all shook up, and for the first time, they could listen to those crooners and others on a new gadget called a pocket transistor radio. A new car cost $1,900, gasoline was 23 cents a gallon and rents averaged $87 a month..
It was 1955. On July 17 of that year - a ...
La Quinta Woman Helped Keep Disneyland Secret
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When Walt Disney was deciding where to build Disneyland, he turned to the Stanford Research Institute in 1953 for help.
His requirements were few: It had to be in Southern California and on flat land, away from the beach.
The institute team, headed by Harrison Price, spent several months analyzing population trends, land prices, accessibility and the climate of 10 regions in the greater Los ...
Disneyland A New Wonder Of The Amusement World Nears Completion
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A wonderland of delights such as the World may never have seen before is rising out of the orange groves in this sunny suburb of Los Angeles.
It is Disneyland, a 17 million dollar paradise for children. When the gates are opened on July 19, customers will see an amusement built on the scale of a World's Fair. The fantastic world of Disney films will be transformed into three dimensional reality.
...
10 Scary Legendary Ghost Tales Of Disneyland Haunts
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I recently interviewed a cast member who works inside the Haunted Mansion. She talked about the belief, among Disney employees, that the place is inhabited by more than the Disney-created 999 haunts.
She said female employees talk about ghosts that untie the ribbons in the cast members' hair. She said props move from one side of a room to the other. She said there are behind-the-scenes rooms in the ...
Trip To Disneyland Will Be Literally Out Of This World
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For vacationers, week end travelers or plain Sunday drivers a tour through Disneyland Park in Anaheim which opens tomorrow will be a trip that is almost literally out of this world playground officials said today.
Because, behind the high embankment that shuts in the heart-shaped park and shuts long present day cares, there are "new worlds" of enchantment serving up fun for all kinds and ages of ...
Going Inside The Dream Suite And Walt Disney Apartment At Disneyland
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Some of us are just born Disneyland fanatics.
It's hard to dislike the classic theme park of course, but if you're a superfan, as I'd consider myself, there are a few places within the park that you're aware are very difficult to gain access to - some nearly impossible, in fact. These are places many attending the park likely don't even know exist, even as they are walking right by them.
All of ...
Disneyland And Imagineering Part 6
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Did you know that although Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is largely considered the first color animated feature length film by most, when in fact it isn't ?
It's true.
Because of Walt Disney's reputation and his ambitious efforts in both film, television and finally amusement parks, it is conceivable to see this recorded improperly. In the early 1900s, records that were kept were in their ...
This Is How Disneyland Looked And Changed In The 1960s
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It was the '60s, a decade of change. And just like society, Disneyland would change too - in dramatic fashion.
1960
Just like previous years, Walt Disney was constantly tinkering with Disneyland as the decade started. The first year of the decade, he added more scenes to the Rainbow Ridge Mine Train, and changed its name to the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. The mules got a new name, ...
Beignets Pirates And Ghosts Oh My
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When New Orleans Square opened in July of 1966, the mayor of New Orleans, Victor Schiro, participated in the dedication. Schiro announced that Disney was an honorary citizen of the real city and joked that adding the Square cost as much as the original Louisiana Purchase. The dedication was Walt's last public appearance before his death that December.
There are two actual rides in the New Orleans ...
No Disneyland Branch
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Walt Disney says he will not open branch replicas of Disneyland despite offers from a dozen foreign nations and uncounted requests from this country.
Some organizations have gone so far as to offer complete financing, but Walt has turned them all down.
PERSONAL PROJECT
"Disneyland is a personal project with me, he says. "I must stay close to it, otherwise the park would no longer be fun.
...
Disneyland And Imagineering Part 12
Although Disney had a dislike for the typical carnivals of the time, it wasn't so much the content, but the environment and the lack of attention to detail. Long before the park was built, after one of his frequent visits to Griffith Park with his daughters, he stated, "Things could be done better than this. A park should be designed for total family enjoyment. Besides a merry-go-round, there could be ...
Remembering Disneyland Wild Opening Day In 1955
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Marty Sklar, the legendary Disney Imagineer who not only closely worked with Walt Disney for years, but also had a vital hand in shaping Disney theme parks as we know them, has died. He was 83 years old. The creative was an icon in the Disney community, known for having never missed an opening of the company's famous parks all over the world. He was even there for the 1955 opening of Disneyland, which was ...
What It Takes To Put On A Disneyland Christmas By The Numbers
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Start with 300,000 lights
It's officially Christmastime at Disneyland, and along with the seasonal treats and must-have souvenirs, there are plenty of eye-popping decorations ready to be admired.
With garlands lining Main Street, trees outfitted with all the trimming, and festive cheer abounding, big-time Disney fans may be wondering how the park decorates its castle or just how high those ...
They Are Disneyland Superfans Why A Lawsuit Is Alleging Gangster-Like Tactics Against One Social Club
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They stroll through Disneyland in packs of 20 or more, motley crews that resemble a cross between the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and a grown-up Mickey Mouse Club with their Disney-themed tattoos and their matching denim vests strewn with trading pins and logos.
Disneyland social clubs, by most accounts, are harmless alliances of friends and family who meet up at the park to share a nerdy obsession ...
What Bob Iger Thinks About Adding Alcohol To Star Wars Galaxys Edge
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Disneyland made waves recently when, buried among some new details about the cantina that will be part of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, it was revealed that adult beverages will be for sale there, something that hasn't been the case at Disneyland since it opened in 1955. Recently, Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, was asked about this major break with tradition, and while Iger says he believes in tradition, he doesn't ...
24 Surprising Things About Disneyland We Did Not Know But Should
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Disneyland is said to be the "Happiest Place on Earth." For one day (or several depending on your trip schedule) people of all ages from toddlers to seniors can have fun, let loose and become a kid again. It's a place filled with magic, music, your favourite characters and rides to fit whatever you're in the mood for.
It opened its doors on July 17, 1955, and was the masterpiece of Walt Disney's ...
25 Things Walt Disney Never Wanted Visitors To Know
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Walt Disney himself lived a legendary and highly mysterious life. A man of many secrets, he worked hard to incorporate hidden features through all of his work. Up to this day, there are dozens of special Easter eggs hidden throughout the park. The Imagineer's that designed Disneyland in California have thought through every detail to make the parks as magical as possible.
Some of these secrets are ...
When At Disneyland Let Walt Be Your Guide To His Magical Kingdom
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The first thing most people do when they visit Disneyland is head straight for the rides.
They have it all wrong.
To truly experience Disney magic, you need Walt to be your guide to his kingdom. Here's how a prominent group of Gonzaga alums experienced that for themselves while in Anaheim for Gonzaga's Sweet 16 games.
The key is not to rush, especially right after you walk through the front ...
Disneyland Turning 50
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Here's the deal with Disneyland. The two women ahead of me in line were Elizabeth and Lexi, twins fromWinnetka, Ill. Elizabeth is a communications and political science major at the University of Southern California. Lexi is a philosophy major atYale.
They knew the words to ''We Can Fly,'' a song from Walt Disney's ''PeterPan.'' It's the song the chorus sings when Wendy, John and Michael,powered by ...
Glaring Glitches Aside, The Debut Was Glorious
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It was sweltering that day. And crowded. People swarmed to the entrance to Disneyland even if they didn't have tickets, that's how eager they were to get inside.
"Hotter than hell" is how Art Linkletter, the emcee and Walt Disney's longtime friend, remembers the opening day of Disneyland July 17, 1955.
"The asphalt had just been rolled, and people's shoes got stuck in it. But we carried on. We ...
1st Disney Park Goes Golden
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After half a century, those mad teacups are still spinning, the baby elephants are still flying, the hippos' ears are still wiggling and the cash registers are still jingling.
Disneyland, a place both timeless and frozen in time, hits a milestone this summer when it turns 50 in Anaheim, Calif.
But not everybody sees the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth as exactly that. A feisty band of ...
