Forever Magical
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It's Hard to Say Goodbye

As Walt Disney said, “The way I see it, Disneyland will never be finished. It’s something we can keep developing and adding to...I’ve always wanted to work on something alive, something that keeps growing. We’ve got that in Disneyland.” Over the past years I’ve said goodbye to the Carnation Café, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fools show, Circle-Vision, The Swiss Family Treehouse, Stromboli’s, Monorail Café, Main Street Electrical Parade and others. While closing days are sad, because it is Disneyland there is an air of anticipation to see what the Imagineers will put in its place. Sometimes these expectations are met or surpassed and other times we simply shake our heads and wonder why.

As a Disneyland fan there are days that I wish I could take an “Adventure through Inner Space” or watch the Main Street Electrical Parade again. Funny thing about this magical place is I also miss things other than attractions. One item I really miss is the Bengal Freeze. It was a frozen citrus treat sold in Adventureland. I once worked for a gentleman who would drive the hour from his house to the Park to enjoy one. I’ve never been able to find anything quite like it anywhere else. I’m not even quite sure what was in it. I just remember that it as non-dairy and available in orange, lemon or you could swirl them together. It was a little thing but I still remember it fondly as part of my trips to Disneyland.

On November 15, 1999 Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, a fantastic band of performers who accompany their musical stylings with physical antics were scheduled to move from the Golden Horseshoe Stage to some other outdoor venue at Disneyland. They had been performing on that stage for six years and have a loyal following. The front few rows were filled with their fans that gathered for this final performance in the Golden Horseshoe. Since each performer is named Billy, fans have titled each one based upon their solo performance. There’s Bass Billy, Elvis Billy, Fiddle Billy, and Mandolin Billy. The final performance was set for 5:30p. As usual the band opened their show with an energetic medley of mountain music melodies. Elvis Billy broke a guitar string but played on. The next section contained some of my favorite moments - Elvis Billy performed Blue Christmas (as he does during the holidays), That’s Alright, Mama, and concluded with a powerful Now or Never. As the rest of the band prepared for the next number Elvis Billy kept the crowd warm by telling a few of their old jokes. He declared that the Billies were going over better than the Bears in Critter Country. Sensing the audience didn’t appreciate this put down of the Country Bears, he explained that while the Billies had visited the Bears on many occasions the Bears had not once in the past six years been to the Golden Horseshoe. He looked at the audience and shrugged and said, “maybe next week.” Suddenly the quiet laughter became hysterical as from the back of the room appeared the Country Bears performers Big Al, LiverLips McGraw and Terrence. Elvis hugged the Bears and camera flashes filled the room for this unusual sight. Eventually the laughter died down and the show continued onto its next number, the Orange Blossom Special.

Fiddle Billy is announced as the fastest speed fiddlist in the entire Frontierland area. On this particular evening he expressed that he felt a “real love bond” with the audience and explained his intent to break his previous speed fiddling record, which has held throughout the past six years. Fiddle Billy prepared as Elvis Billy brought out an official stop clock for the event. On this evening Fiddle Billy finally broke his longstanding record and the fans that had come to bid farewell jumped to their feet in celebration. They had watched many performances waiting for this moment. The rest of the show the gags were their standard comedic performance. At the end of the show the Billies received a tremendous ovation and returned to the stage for an encore. They performed the 1812 Overture/Battle of New Orleans medley from their CD. I had never seen the Billies perform sans comedy and thoroughly enjoyed this unique performance. After the show the Billies came out for a few photos with their fans. Tears were shed but rumors now circulate that the Billies may not have to leave their happy home in the Horseshoe. Only time will tell.

Which reminds me; in saying goodbye Disneyland fans also have to be flexible. My husband and I had our wedding rehearsal dinner at Stromboli’s restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel. This is the restaurant where we did most of our dating and it held a lot of special memories. Trying to track down the final day of operation lead to many phone calls. I believe we had to reschedule our reservations for the final day four or five times.

But the most infamous case of this revolves around the Main Street Electrical Parade. The summer of 1996 was declared the Final Farewell Season of the Main Street Electrical Parade. Throughout the summer the crowds to see the Parade were large and, at times, nearly intolerable. Since the Parade had been around since 1972 many remembered it as a part of their trips to Disneyland and wanted to relive it once more before, as the ad put it, “it glows away forever.” The parade was scheduled to close on October 15th and a special ticket event was scheduled on October 17th for annual passholders and their guests that was advertised as the final public performance. Before the event occurred Disneyland announced that the parade had been extended for another month. Even though the event was not the final performance the passholder event was held and apparently was a lot of fun.

I held onto my money and attended the real final public performance of the Main Street Electrical Parade on November 25, 1996. Thousands lined the streets of Main Street at Disneyland, USA. My parents arrived early to save our family a spot on the curb in front of the Penny Arcade. As always the familiar synthetic voice boomed down the street “The Main Street Electrical Parade”, the lights darkened and the Blue Fairy appeared around the corner. Since my family moved to California in 1977 the capstone on our trips to Disneyland has been watching the Main Street Electrical Parade. I couldn’t believe that this would be the final time we would watch that magical parade. As the final float passed by I stood up and joined the large group of people in following the parade. So many others joined the procession that I was pushed into the gentleman in front of me. As we both apologized I realized that I’d met him a few weeks before. That man is now my husband, but that’s another story.

As the final floats traveled closer and closer to Small World we would hear each section’s close “Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade” then the audience would cheer and the lights would come back on. Once the American eagle reached its final destination behind the fence near Small World, the crowd began an impromptu serenade beginning with Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Hey, Goodbye and ending with the Mickey Mouse Alma Mater.

Disneyland is still changing and growing. Over the next few years I expect to say goodbye to many more attractions and parades. In fact, on Monday, November 22nd we’ll say goodbye to the Mulan Parade. But I also know that new attractions and restaurants are also on the horizon and I look forward to the new experiences that they will offer.

Related Links

• Indigo's very details report from the final Main Street Electrical Parade (from DejaNews)
• Report and pictures from the Final Main Street Electrical Parade (from Doobie's Disneyland Home Page)

-- Rebekah Moseley (November 17, 1999)