July 18th, Happy 64th to Disneyland, Happy 54th to Great Moments and the Plaza Inn

[Darkbeer1]

So on this date in 1955. It was a sunny Monday Morning with folks standing line to pay their $1 to enter Disneyland since the wee hours of the morning. David MacPhearson got in line around Midnight to be the first to enter the park, followed by 50,000 others to watch the opening day parade and to see and hear Walt Disney read the Opening Day Dedication. It was a very special day, the "birth" of a Theme Park that became an instant hit, so much so, Walt Disney decided to limit attendance to just 20,000 a day for the rest of the summer, as the park could only run efficiently at the capacity. By the end of the summer, the park had it's One Millionth Guest on September 8th, Elsa Marquez.

On Monday, July 18th, 1960, 5 year old Diane Dickerson was the 21,885,193 guest through Disneyland's turnstiles and was invited to cut the Birthday Cake with 5 candles. All DL CM's wore a pin saying "We are 5 Years Old Today"

10 years later, on Sunday, July 18th, 1955, Walt Disney officially opened Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln at the Opera House, after his time at the Worlds Fair. He also had a celebration at the Plaza Inn (the former Red Wagon Inn, which was expanded), which also opened that day. He had cake brought out, and celebrated Disneyland's 10th Anniversary.

So a Very Happy 64th Birthday to Disneyland.

As for Mr. Lincoln, you were welcomed to California 55 years ago from Illinois, and while you have had some "vacations", it is a pleasure to see you standing in the same spot you have been for 54 years.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Let me tell you about Mr. Lincoln, I was taken to see him so many times in my youth, and yes, not every time was my choice.

But back in the mid-late 1960's, the lines were long (you got a free admission coupon as part of your ticket book) and it twisted and you saw some short films and exhibits that were either related to President Lincoln or Walt Disney. It was my first time studying a queue, how it worked, and some of the tricks. It was a joy to finally get to the main set of doors, have them open, and get a seat (and yes, I figured out the best row and to not be the first to enter), and then have the CM give the speech they had to memorize.

Then in 1973, they shut down Mr. Lincoln for the Walt Disney Story, and I missed Mr. Lincoln. It became a show I saw every time I went, and the change through me off.

So glad it reopened in 1975 as Mr. Lincoln.

It brought me to appreciate AA's. Yes, the Carousel of Progress was a favorite, especially the magic exit on stage to the vision of Tomorrow upstairs. But at Mr. Lincoln, your sole focus was on one AA, so lots of time to study.

Wow, I am getting old... But I do have some great memories!

Once again, Happy 64th Disneyland, I learned neither of us are perfect, but we are both loved and have been blessed.

And now, in our new relationship, I hope to help steer your future to help keep you strong, and that you help my city, Anaheim to be strong and help its residents have a great city to live, work and play at.

But it is strange to think that you started as my babysitter, then became my chaperone, then the person to show off my new love to, then in a strange way, to come to your rescue in a rough time in your 40's, and then happy you got better. Then my life changed, for the better, and I had you to thank, as you provided my true love, one I married, one who had to help me so much over the last 3 years, and now that I am back to better health, I have been assigned to protect your health. Guess that is what true relations are. True friends to each other.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Disneyland is Walt's magnum opus. It's the pinnacle of his career- it represents the cumulative knowledge of all of his previous endeavors, all encapsulated in one place.

It's amazing to think how big of an impact Disneyland has had.

From a larger picture- it launched a new industry that has changed how the world vacations. I guarantee amusement parks would look very different today had there never been a Disneyland, and Disney company would look very different.

It's a huge source of revenue for Southern California, and has significantly helped the tourist revenue for surrounding areas.

It's attractions have influenced pop culture outside the park- the most obvious being the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.

But from a more personal level- Disneyland has had an amazingly positive impact on the lives of millions. Just about everyone who goes to Disneyland at least has fun. But for many, Disneyland becomes something far more meaningful. It has a way of connecting with people in a way that's indescribable. I can't explain why the park is alluring to the level it is. I can explain parts of it, but something about the complete package is so incredibly unique it will never be duplicated. It just clicks.

What Disneyland has come to represent far surpasses the physical place.

It's easy to get caught up with the myriad of issues the park has. I spend tons of time on here airing complaints about the park. But it's important to take a second and appreciate how gosh darn amazing the place is, despite it's flaws.

And on a more important note, today Splash Mountain turned 30 years and 1 day old.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

Disneyland is Walt's magnum opus. It's the pinnacle of his career- it represents the cumulative knowledge of all of his previous endeavors, all encapsulated in one place.

It's amazing to think how big of an impact Disneyland has had.

From a larger picture- it launched a new industry that has changed how the world vacations. I guarantee amusement parks would look very different today had there never been a Disneyland, and Disney company would look very different.

It's a huge source of revenue for Southern California, and has significantly helped the tourist revenue for surrounding areas.

It's attractions have influenced pop culture outside the park- the most obvious being the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.

But from a more personal level- Disneyland has had an amazingly positive impact on the lives of millions. Just about everyone who goes to Disneyland at least has fun. But for many, Disneyland becomes something far more meaningful. It has a way of connecting with people in a way that's indescribable. I can't explain why the park is alluring to the level it is. I can explain parts of it, but something about the complete package is so incredibly unique it will never be duplicated. It just clicks.

What Disneyland has come to represent far surpasses the physical place.

It's easy to get caught up with the myriad of issues the park has. I spend tons of time on here airing complaints about the park. But it's important to take a second and appreciate how gosh darn amazing the place is, despite it's flaws.

And on a more important note, today Splash Mountain turned 30 years and 1 day old.

That was beautifully said. Having been at DL for most of the day, today, it was a very special, meaningful, fun day. All in one. Just magical.

 

[socalifornian]

It's attractions have influenced pop culture outside the park- the most obvious being the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.

At least one restaurant too, everyone knows what Doritos are