Kenversations™
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The Passing of the Torch
The time finally came for the Lifetime Acheivement Award - the first one to be given to a second generation Imagineer.

There was a hilarious and touching Disney-produced video about how Tony grew up as a fan of the park and later a cast member, complete with authentic home video of him on rides (like The Flying Saucers), and some less-than-authentic video of him, including a shot of Tony as one of the first two children to enter Disneyland. Two paticularly touching clips were congratulations from his favorite instructor from Cal State Long Beach, and from his sister.

Paul Presser, Marty Sklar, and Buzz Price were all on stage to present the award. Paul, of course, is Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Marty is a top executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Buzz, now a good friend of Tony’s, was instrumental in helping Walt Disney with the logistics of building Disneyland Park.

Tony gave an emotional acceptance speech and dedicated his award to the late Randy Bright. He also mentioned several other people who had been inpirations and supporters along the way, some of whom are still with us and some whom have left to help Walt with Heavenly Disneyland.

Make no mistake - although this is a "Lifetime Acheivment" award, the torch is being passed to Tony, and to the second generation, not from Tony. As he told me later:

He went on to say that lack of confidence and allowing fear of risks to dominate results in bland theme park design.

I was able to chat after the ceremony with such folks as Tony, Adam, Dave, and Andy, as well as Bob Baranick, Ryan Harmon, Dave and Carol Mumford, Stacia Martin, Doug and Laurell Hartwell, and Barry Kemper, among others. That’s quite a night for a theme park junkie like me.

I didn't see any star-struck fanatics (you know who you are), so either you weren't there or you did a good job of blending in. I was pleasantly surprised when someone I was being introduced to (you know who you are) said "Kenversations!" upon hearing my name.

I was simply happy to be able to be there on Tony’s big night. I know how much he loves Disney, theme parks, and design, to the point where he designed his own very distinctive home. He’s the kind of guy who shows up to watch the last Skyway gondola descend into Tomorrowland, to ride the last submarine through the Disneyland Submarine Voyage, and to watch the last performance of the…

Bears
It was Sunday, September 9th. Churches across the county were a lot less full than they’d be a few days later. For people like me, the biggest concern of the day was making sure I got my fill of the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown before the doors were shuttered.

During the preceding days, cast members had been invited to come see the show, in costume if that was more convenient, and had one of the two theaters set aside for them. But on that final day, as the line stretched through Critter County, both theaters were open to a mixed group of guests and cast members in and out of costume.

There’s nothing like see a show during the farewell performances or riding a ride during the final trips. The audience is always so active and fun as the mood grows nostalgic and people say their sometimes emotional goodbyes to a familiar experience.

Unlike with past events, I wasn’t able to stay for the very end, but I did get in my multiple final viewings of the show, complete with foot-stomping, hand-clapping, and singing.

The characters had held up very well, able to perform three different shows over the years, a testament to the incredible talent of Marc Davis. The expressions of the eyes, the visible breathing of the band, Teddi Berra on a swing, the layout of the theater… it was an example of a great attraction that didn’t need to throw you around, drop you, scare you, or surprise you with physical gag effects to entertain you. It was a show that didn’t need to be interrupted with something going horribly wrong. The worst thing that happens is an invasion of a skunk who doesn’t smell, and maybe Big Al losing his Swiss Army knife.

Max, Buff, and Melvin freaked me out when I was a kid, and I’ll sure miss them. The theater was also a nice place for a cast member to take a break after peformances were finished for the day, especially in cold or rainy weather.

It would have been nice to have the original show back for a while, but I guess that’s what Walt Disney World is for.

Sunday the 9th of September was a day to enjoy the Hoedown at Disneyland Park for one last time. None of us knew that two mornings later, we’d be stunned by the most heinous acts of terrorism we’d ever seen, the barbaric…