Disneyland celebrated its 60th birthday this past weekend! As a Disney Addict and Entertainment Writer for Chipandco.com, I could not miss a visit to the “Happiest Place on Earth” to be a part of the celebrations. Join me on my amazing magical adventure!
Grabbing my Disney 60th Anniversay Dooney & Bourke (souvenir from the 24hr event) full of extra battery packs, cords and of course, my AP and Disney Credit Card, I headed out at 5:30 am to ensure I made Rope Drop. Arriving at the Toy Story Parking lot, I secured my spot and joined my buddy, Robbie Bulus. At the entrance to the park, we were surprised to see the OC Registrar handing out newspapers full of articles from the opening day events. Once through the ticket stalls, we picked up a few of the commemorative maps and a button (one per person please). The excitement could be felt as we headed down Main Street. First stop inside the emporium to check out any new merchandise. There were a few items available, a cinch bag with a t-shirt for $29.00 and the traditional t-shirts, mugs and pins, but most of the 60th merchandise has been available since the 24 hour event which launched the start of the 60th celebration on May 22, 2015.
Continuing down Main Street we came up to the castle which had a stage set up and a jumbo tron, ready for the dedication ceremony at 10:00 am. Signs pointed us towards Frontierland, specifically Big Thunder Ranch where Disney members were passing out delicious birthday cupcakes (yes I had a cupcake for breakfast). Tray after tray of cupcakes were being swooped up by excited guests. A cast member shared that 130,000 cupcakes had been ordered for guests and 70,00 for cast members to celebrate throughout the day.
Next we decided to check out the newly renovated Peter Pan ride only to discover an 80 minute wait time. Onward through Fantasyland, we secured a spot in front of the jumbo tron by the Matterhorn ride (my favorite) and set up our equipment to record the cremony dedication.
The ceremony began with a recording of Walt Disney’s opening speech, “To all that come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America… with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
President of the Disneyland Resort, Michael Colglazier, thanked the Disney family and introduced, Disney Legend and Academy Award-winning composer Richard M. Sherman and actress and singer Ashley Brown (star of “Mary Poppins” on Broadway). The Duo performed a flawless rendition of “Feed the Birds” and followed up singing Happy Birthday, along with Disneyland park guests.
Mr. Colglazier also announced Disneyland’s newest campaign “Million Dollar Dazzle” which will give $1 million dollars over the next 17 months to local Orange County charitable organizations. The first recepients were the local chapter of Girl Scouts who received $60,000 grant for all their hard work in the community.
After the ceremony, Robbie and Kim, Tyler, Blake and I headed over to lunch at Carthay Circle where we met my new buddy, Worthy. Worthy a regular at Disneyland was all blinged out in celebratory flashy jewels from head to toe. Delicious lunch over, we had to check in with our favorite genie at the Hyperion Theatre, Aladdin show and yes, another cupcake from the neverending trays available.
A bit of window shopping and drooling over new Dooney and Bourke purses, led me to the Disneyland Park just in time to catch the end of the afternoon parade, where special VIP guests, including Michael Schwartner, the first boy through the Disneyland gates in 1955.
As night time approached, and my fellow DAs went home, I decided to spend just “10 more minutes” in the shops. Four hours later the sound of the Paint the Night parade music dragged me out of the Emporium. Catching the tail of end the parade, I waved at the window of Walt’s apartment above the fire station and thanked him for another day of magic. Fifteen and one half hours had come to an end, tired, sleepy and floating on a cloud of pixie dust, I made my way to my car and began the drive home, dreaming of my next trip.
Loretta Garcia, Entertainment Writer for Chipandco.com bringing you the magic of Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary Celebration.
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