The West Side of the Kingdom
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There's Magic in the Stars

If there’s one thing that has remained a magical element of Disneyland for me through the years, it’s been the fireworks shows. Growing up in both San Bernardino and Orange Counties, trips to the Happiest Place on Earth were both frequent and long (loving the Park as much as me, my grandfather always insisted on staying until I was exhausted and completely pacified). Summer nights were always magical, as we’d watch a family favorite called The Main Street Electrical Parade and then the awesome fireworks, exploding in the sky high above the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, my time spent at Disneyland and the memories of the past 10 years have all but erased my early childhood memories of the Park. All I am left with are snapshot images in my mind, which is depressing at times, but since I do know that these early trips took place and have many personal photos to back those memories, they remain very near and dear to my heart.

Getting back to fireworks at Disneyland, one of the memories I do recall nicely from my childhood is how incredible I always thought the shows were and how small and compact the low-level show at Knott’s Berry Farm was. In those days, I didn’t understand the community politics and financial matters at hand for each company regarding what they could fire off and what they could afford to do nightly, etc. All I knew is that Disneyland’s were big, loud and awesome and that Knott’s had a much different show - but that the music at Knott’s during their show was more appealing, because they used modern movie themes such as the Raiders March from Raiders of the Lost Ark. What I didn’t realize at the time was that Knott’s was mastering low-level pyrotechnics and Disneyland was specializing in big-bang shows with much fanfare. Looking back now, I see that both parks continued to do so over the years; and I have come to love each equally. Fireworks are cool, no matter how they are presented - and nothing beats watching a good fireworks show at Disneyland or Knott’s on a warm summer evening!

When I worked at Disneyland in the late ‘80s, the fireworks took on a whole new meaning for me. As a Cast Member, one of the aspects of Disneyland that remained truly magical was spending a few moments each night gazing up at the colorful bursts along with thousands of visitors from around the world. I worked a lot of nights during the summer - usually at the Haunted Mansion. I acted as in-ride security (this was before they had the video cameras throughout the attraction), and so was not part of the general rotation. As a result, I got to take my lunch whenever I wanted. I always left the Mansion about 10 minutes prior to the show each night and made my way through Critter Country to the backstage area behind the Country Bear Playhouse. There, amongst the sign shops and various prop departments, I would sit and watch (usually with a handful of other Cast Members from various departments) the show exploding in the sky very close to where I was seated. One of the favorite gathering places was the top of the old Main Street Omnibus. Regardless of the fact that I was standing or sitting in the middle of what most Disney collectors or fans would consider backstage heaven (ride vehicles, attraction props and various thingamabobs all over the place), I was there for one reason only - to watch Fantasy In The Sky and leave all my cares behind for a few moments as I returned to childhood underneath the Anaheim sky.

I mentioned before the Main Street Electrical Parade playing a very important part of my “Disneyland upbringing.” It was, and will always hold a very special place in my heart. When I was fortunate enough to get to know the vastly talented Don Dorsey, the man behind the Parade’s world-famous soundtrack (he re-recorded the Parade’s soundtrack in the mid-‘70s, which remained until the final performance at Disneyland just a few years ago), it was very overwhelming on one hand and very gratifying on the other. To be able to personally thank Don for giving us all such a fantastic piece of Disneyland history - that was one of the high points of my Disneyland journalism. It remains one of my favorite moments to this day, and yes, I do still keep in touch with Don and was able to congratulate him on the Epcot Millennium Celebration, which my wife and I saw at Walt Disney World in November. The circle continues.