Kim's Corner
Page 3 of 3
While working on an interview with Ward Kimball
after the ceremony in celebration of the Rededication of the Disneyland
Railroad, Kay and I covered the event for two different clubs - she for the OUAC
and me for the NFFC.
Once Upon A Classic - The Club that
the WDCC - and Kay - Built
As the collection hit the marketplace collectors began to band together and forming
loose-knit groups who would see each other at events and run into each other at the park
shopping at Disneyana or at the NFFC’s Strictly Disneyana Show & Sale. There was
a group of Walt Disney enthusiasts in the Los Angeles/Orange County area that was very
impressed with the new line of Classic Disney figurines that many saw for the first time
at the International Collectors Exposition at the Convention Center in Long Beach in 1993
- the first real push for the product in Southern California.
Kay and John Miller decided to be collectors of these new pieces and immediately began the search for Limited Editions and other beautiful pieces of the Walt Disney Classics Collection. They soon met others with the same common interest so they decided to pool their knowledge and form a collectors club. Thus, Once Upon A Classic was born in November 1993 and Kay has been President ever since. Membership - which is closed at the present time - and scope of the club has grown considerably over the years as 225 members now collect all kinds of Disney memorabilia and also participate in the myriad of activities offered in the Disney realm. The club now meets in the Mary Pickford Educational Center of the Autry Museum and averages from 80 to more than 100 members a meeting.
Meetings may feature prominent Disney speakers - including Ward Kimball, Richard Sherman, and Marc and Alice Davis as well as artists, sculptors, and merchandise managers and others from the collectables divisions of the Disney Company - are held every other month and an informative Newsletter is published during the other months. Dues are $20.00 per individual or $26.00 a couple per year and there is now a waiting list to join due to space constraints at the Autry.
Highlights of the Club’s yearly schedule include an annual Unbirthday Party for all members at Disneyland - the event has been held at Club 33, Aladdin's Oasis, and the Golden Horseshoe - and an annual Holiday Party held at various members’ homes. The Club attends all the latest Disney movies as a group, and enjoys going to Disneyland Special Events and Conventions together - you might have noticed the special brightly colored T-shirts featuring the Club’s logo - for the occasions.
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Once Upon A Classic and a big celebration is planned for the Fall at the Disneyland Resort - with the "legendary goodie bag" as a thank-you for continued support. With the continued production of wonderful art pieces, Once Upon A Classic is looking forward to many more years of Disney fun.
Discuss It
Related Links
-- Kim Petersen
Kim's Corner is normally posted the fourth Monday of each month and at other times for merchandise updates.
The opinions expressed by our Kim Petersen, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted June 3, 2002
-- All pictures by Kim Petersen