Alrighty....
On to Main Street USA
The area on the Baxterland Map, for those following along :
So looking at the Map from left to right, we cover his interest in trains, his upcoming Main Street Window, his very beginnings working for the Company, one of his fave shopping spots, and the delights to be had at the Opera House.
Probably the highlight of Main Street for me related to Tony is that THIS is the place where he quite literally started his career with the Disney organization.
This is represented on the Map by the photo of 18 year old Tony...how he appeared back in the day.
The tale of how it all began is well known : At 17 1/2 he applied for a job at Disneyland, and started working at the Carnation Plaza Gardens ( where Fantasy Faire is now ) scooping ice cream. He then moved on to working some Tomorrowland Attractions, which i will cover when we move into that area of the Map.
So Main Street means a lot ....in relation to the Baxterland perspective.
He wanted a job at DL so he could learn as much as he could about how everything worked...from the inside out...and often during his lunch breaks he would sneak over to other attractions and peer into backstage areas.
Here is a photo of Tony standing in front of Fantasy Faire, some steps away from where it all started for him -
The recent honor Tony is soon to receive is to have a window on Main Street in DL.
This is one of the highest honors the Disney Company can give, and only those who have had a huge and lasting impact on the Park(s) and the Company in general are honored in this way.
A specially designed window is created that relates to the honorees contribution or primary talent. When the actual window is revealed, the honoree receives a special miniature scale model one to keep as their own.
This honor is extra meaningful in regards to Mr. Baxter...since Main Street in DL is where he started his long journey all those years ago.
He already has a window present on Main Street in Disneyland Paris (fittingly so..) but having one in *Walt*s Park* is a major personal honor for him i am sure.
I cannot think of anyone more deserving.
The photo shown on the Map representing the soon-to-be-known location of Tony*s Main Street Window is represented by this one : The Sherman Brothers window unveiling -
Next up is The Disney Gallery, which i believe has been moved from where i may have placed it on the Map.
The photo shown on the Map is of Tony holding a copy of a recently released art book related to Disney Theme Park attraction posters.
The Disney Gallery has moved a few times over the years.
Tony was involved in the design for the Disney Gallery when it was once housed in the space above the POTC attraction in the early 2000s. It was like a museum showcasing the history of WDI and the Park in general. The place was like a walk through attraction all it*s own!
The Gallery was sadly removed and turned into the *Dream Suite* during the *Year of a Million Dreams* Park promotion for a few years ago.
It was moved to Main Street...and i think recently i heard it has been moved yet again into a much smaller space at the Opera House ( DL experts...please chime in..!)
The last stop on Main Street is the fabulous Opera House, which is home to *Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln*.
The original presentation of this show is closely associated with Walt Disney, as he was a big fan of Mr. Lincoln.
Tony had a lot of influence with the reworking of the current version of the presentation, and the upgrades and enhancements to the show are fantastic. The latest generation of Audio-Animatronics arrived with the debut of the amazingly realistic Abe figure who appears onstage during the show. Stunning !
Another more interesting aspect of the Lincoln presentation is that Mr. Baxter has a very personal tie to the original presentation....
Seeing the original debut of * Great Moments * inspired him to get a job at DL to begin with !
Read on...
After seeing Mr. Lincoln on Main Street during its opening weekend in the Summer of 1965, Tony was so impressed with the new show that he went down to the Harbor Blvd. offices the next day and applied for a job.
He won a position, and happliy began working as a DL CM three weeks later.
So when you are seated in the theatre ...and the show is about to begin...remember that lean college-bound teenage who was enjoying his summer off from school.
The lobby area of the Opera House contains some memorabilia related to DIsneyland*s history, and i remember last year the collection was quite impressive and entertaining.
Huge models, great concept art, and a complete overview of the creation of the Park and it*s various attractions. I have heard that recently this has changed, with part of the lobby now a retail space and some of the models removed ( Splash Mountain being one..).
In this area until a few months ago there was also displayed in a large glass cabinet a selection of Park Ticket Books. These were from Mr. Baxter*s own personal collection, as he is a avid collector.
The photo on the Map shows Tony standing over the display case during a special fan event a few years ago.
He loaned some of his tickets from a personal collection to Disney for this display and they were here for a few years.
The were removed a few months ago unfortunately.
Now before we leave Main Street and venture off to another area of Baxterland, there is one more stop : The Hub.
There used to be olive trees here originally...and in the mid-1990s when the hub was being re-designed the decision was made by those in charge that these old trees *had to go* as it was felt they were blocking views of the Castle.
Who steps in and offers to take them away to beautify his own property?
Yep...you guessed it....
Tony as a teen standing under one of those trees at DL...and Tony more recently at his home standing with the same tree!
They are now happily continuing to grow at Baxter Manor.
So when you are standing in the Hub, and looking at what greenery is currently there, think of Mr. Baxter.
Next up:
Tomorrowland...!
