Editor's Report
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The Summer of 1995
Like many Southern California residents I grew up regularly going to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, Universal Studios and all the rest. I always remember Disneyland as being my favorite, but not so much so that I continued going in my adult years. In fact, from the age of 18 to 23 I believe I went to Disneyland once. Then came May 29, 1995.

It was Memorial Day and out of the blue I decided to go to Disneyland. I really can't remember many specifics from that day, but something magical obviously happened. One memory I do have is of sitting at Cafe Orleans when this amazing water/light/firework show started and struggling to see what I could see. Four days later I purchased a Premium Annual Pass and haven't looked back since.

Many things stand out about that first summer at Disneyland, but none more than the entertainment. Disneyland was celebrating 40 Years of Adventure in style. In July of that year I saw the first Spirit of Pocahontas stage show. I can remember many afternoons spent watching Billy Hill and the Hillbillies then heading to Main Street for the Lion King Celebration. Of course a curb seat for the Main Street Electrical was pretty easy to get (this being the year before the "Glow Away" year), but my favorite past time was seeing Fantasmic! from the bridge which I did at least 50 times that first summer. The Magic Kingdom Kabaret 40 year anniversary show at the Tomorrowland Terrace was also a favorite of mine.

Indiana Jones was the big new attraction that summer though I didn't have my first ride until July 4th. By then the hype for it was so incredible I was actually disappointed with my first ride. I've since come to my senses. One of my favorite attractions was the Tiki Room and I spent a fair amount of time on Space Mountain, too. And it was during that first summer that I discovered I must be the only Disneyland fan that doesn't love Pirates of the Caribbean. As a compromise, I consider the Haunted Mansion to be my favorite Disneyland attraction. But the one thing I always made sure I did when it was open (and it often wasn't) was the Peoplemover. I'm glad I spent so much time riding that when I did since that was the last summer for it.

That summer I also discovered this community of Annual Passholders. One of the first people I met was John Frost who later was the best man at my wedding. The bride at that wedding was Rebekah Kaplan who I also met at Disneyland a couple of years later. I occasionally hung out with a group of Internet Usenetters known as RADers (rec.arts.disney). Back then there was also a BBS called "The Mouse House" that I posted on. The owner of that BBS had an annual Game Day at the park called Houseketeer Day where I met many more people and discovered some of the completely different kinds of fun that could be had at the Magic Kingdom.

One last discovery I made that year - the Disneyland Hotel, only a Monorail ride away. Stromboli's restaurant quickly became a favorite hangout of mine. Many evenings I'd go there for dinner and never even step foot in Disneyland. Stromboli's has since been replaced with a relocated Goofy's Kitchen but my Disney-dining tradition continues at the PCH Grill. Over the years I've met several wonderful Cast Members between waiting for Fantasmic! (Dave, Michelle, Jerome), hanging out at Coke Corner (Rod Miller), taking guided tours (Jorge, Dean, Nancy) Stromboli's (Genevieve, Gina) and the rest. But none are as kind and friendly as the group at the PCH Grill - Jerry, Bill, Daniel, David, the pizza chefs and the rest of the crew. For me, they exemplify Disney as much as anything inside the berm.