Forever Magical
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Opening of Tarzan's Treehouse
Not long after, Cynthia hosted over 100 Kosovo refugees who had recently relocated to Southern California by asking them to be the first official guests to walk-through the Tarzan's Treehouse. Ms. Harriss even offered them a special greeting in their native language, Albanian. Watching her share the Magic Kingdom with the children and guests, I was reminded of Walt Disney's openings to his television programs. She had a sparkle in her eye and a smile in her voice. She became "my favorite aunt". Someone I'd want to invite to read to my kids or hang out at the Park for afternoon. She exhibited a desire to hold onto the child inside that Disneyland brings to the forefront.
Meeting the fans at the 45th
There were a few events where I had to apologize to Cynthia because I'm a softie and apparently seeing me sitting or standing there in the front row didn't make her job at the podium any easier. When the Disneyland Resort hosted a flag raising ceremony following 9/11, it proved much more cathartic for me than I anticipated. After the ceremony, I was able to give Cynthia a hug and thank her for the ceremony. Tears were streaming down my face. Cynthia took a firm grip of my hand. She didn’t make lengthy eye contact with me, I’m guessing to keep her composure, but she didn't let go of my hand either as she chatted with many others in the crowd. Her strong grip on my hand was very reassuring and frankly, at that moment, needed. I have returned to that moment at times when those emotions well up again. At other events that would make me tear up she'd come over after and guess what created the response. For example, at the recent Disneyland birthday celebration, when the singers were focusing on the sun breaking through the clouds, that's exactly what happened - as if the skies were under the magic of Disney. Cynthia looked over at me and Kim Petersen of NFFC, both of us teary eyed at the moment. Once the ceremony completed Cynthia came over and teased us a bit about that and guessed what had led to the tears.
In December 2001, the Disneyland Resort celebrated the 100th birthday of Walt Disney with a very special presentation by Richard Sherman. He played Walt's favorite, "Feed the Birds" at the Hub by the Partners statue. Many in the crowd sang along including Cynthia. I found out following the ceremony that the melody was one of the first tunes she learned how to play on the piano and was among her favorites.