Calling all Central Florida Residents past and present (and even visitors who just have an affinity for the place)! The Orange County Regional History Center is asking for donations for an exhibit celebrating 50 years of Walt Disney World and the impact that the resort has had on the region.
Orange County Regional History Center
What’s Happening:
- The Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando is calling on the Central Florida community to help preserve the history of Walt Disney World in Orlando ahead of the theme park’s 50th anniversary this October.
- The Disney World at 50 History Harvest gives the public a unique opportunity to contribute to the History Center’s Disney World at 50 Collecting Project through the donation of photos, audio or video recordings, memorabilia and oral histories.
- People are encouraged to make an appointment through the History Center website here. In addition to donating physical artifacts, the History Center is also accepting digital donations.
- It all started fifty years ago, on October 1, 1971, when Walt Disney World opened, and a “Whole New World” began for Orlando and Central Florida.
- Locals might remember opening day and the excitement it brought or watching Walt Disney on television on Sunday nights in the 1960s and wishing you could go to Disneyland, but now the Magic Kingdom was coming to Florida!
- The Orange County Regional History Center is asking anyone living, working, or visiting the seven county region (Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Volusia counties) to share their stories. Maybe you tried to sneak a peek at the mysterious construction sites, applied for jobs, or were in the band that played on opening day. Whatever your memories are of Walt Disney World coming to town, they are important to Central Florida’s history!
- If you’d like to donate something, or if you have physical items you’d like to contribute, please contact Whitney Broadaway at [email protected] or 407-836-8587.