Disney often combines laughter and tears, but on Monday, January 6, tears were combined with hilarity as Billy Hill and the Hillbillies played their final set at Disneyland’s Big Thunder Ranch. It was fitting that the wildly popular bluegrass performers should wind up their career under the stars; they began at Disney as temporary entertainers at the pig races that were part of the Disneyland State Fair in 1987.
Even before it was officially announced, word had begun to spread that the group would be ending their run in Frontierland. Although the Golden Horseshoe had been their base of operation, in recent years they had spent the holidays at the Ranch, first as Billy Hill and the Haunted Hillbillies for Halloween, then Billy Hill and the Holiday Hillbillies through November and December. Joining them for each show during the holidays were the Country Bears, lured out of hibernation by the bluegrass music and corny comedy.
Monday, January 6 was in no way an ordinary day for the Billies, as they have been affectionately nicknamed by their many fans. From the moment the Jingle Jangle Jamboree at the ranch opened, seats were filled and tables occupied as everyone waited to see and hear the Billies one last time. As the day wore on the arena kept filling up, until it finally reached capacity and had to be closed before the final set at 5:15pm.
For the most part, the Billies hewed closely to their set play list, although they did insert a few old favorites during different performances. With six scheduled showtimes, and many audience members sitting through essentially the same show all day, the Billies themselves began finding new humor in some otherwise familiar routines. As any mention of the Country Bears signaled the approaching end of a show (they appear during the final number), the crowd began to good-naturedly heckle any mention of the bears.