The West Side of the Kingdom
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Rick and his grandfather on the Mine Train Through
Nature's Wonderland in 1972
Imagine having video of Nature’s Wonderland or the very early days of Pirates of the Caribbean? It’s almost too much to bear, isn’t it?
Now that Disneyland fans devour the Park each day with their digital cameras, 35mm cameras and video recorders, it’s much easier to pull up footage of attractions like the PeopleMover, CircleVision 360 or things such as The Main Street Electrical Parade (the Disneyland version, thank you very much) or even events like Blast to the Past and State Fair. It’s safe to say that the next 46 years of Disneyland will be very well documented in many forms by many people, which is fantastic. Theme park history is a treasure that we should all do our best to preserve.
While we’re in "what if" mode, imagine reading a trip report on a Web site that goes something like this:
It was pretty crowded today for no apparent reason. My best guess is that maybe schools are all out for the summer and there is no class tomorrow. I know I have no school anymore! Woo-hoo!
Went on the train ride around Disneyland this morning and then hit Fantasyland. The carousel looks gorgeous, as always. It was cool to see all of the families having so much fun! I even saw a stroller with twins in it wearing small sunglasses. How cute is that!?
I took a ride on the mine train, which is always fun. I keep waiting for that bobcat to leap into one of the cars!
Okay, now the totally cool part of the day! I was walking through Adventureland and was checking out some of the stuff in the Bazaar near the Jungle Cruise. Just as I started to leave, I realized that there were some kids standing in line to talk to someone. They all had their souvenir books out. It was WALT DISNEY! I was SO excited! I didn’t have a Disneyland guidebook with me, so I did all I could think to do. I ran all the way down Main Street and asked for one at the main gate! I ran all the way back to Adventureland, but Mr. Disney was GONE! I ran from one end of the area all the way to the river in Frontierland. Nothing!
Just as I was about to give up my search, I spotted Mr. Disney kneeling down, talking to some little kids that were throwing popcorn to the ducks in the water!
I walked up to him and waited a short distance away as he finished talking to the family. He laughed and roughed up one of the little boy’s hair as he stood. I was so nervous!
He turned to walk away and I said, "Mister Disney?" He looked at me and smiled; I got the feeling that he wanted to maybe leave without drawing a crowd, so I decided to make it snappy.
I said, "I just want to say thank you for such a wonderful place." He smiled and said, "Well, you’re welcome!"
I almost forgot the mission at hand; I held out my Disneyland booklet and asked if he’d mind signing it for me. "Sure, sure," he said and asked my name. He signed the cover and handed it back to me. "There you are," he said. I knew our visit was coming to an end. I had a million questions to ask him, but I froze up!
"Have a good time," Mr. Disney said and walked away. I stood watching as he walked, unnoticed, through Frontierland toward the Hub.
I hope to see him again some time; next time, I will have some questions for him and the nerve to ask! At least I got his autograph! I wonder if it will be a collector’s item some day!
Ah, the what-ifs and dreams we can ponder, huh?