A Little History

I have an attachment and love for Disney land and Disney world that goes beyond the fun that is had there. It goes back to my childhood and in some ways even before that.

I lived 3 miles from Disneyland until my family moved to the Midwest when I was 7. I have early memories of my parents taking us to Disneyland to celebrate their anniversary, and of my aunt taking my sister and I for a day of fun.

There are also fun Disney connections from both sides of my family. My grandmother worked for the building department of Anaheim (where Disneyland is located) for many, many years. She and my grandpa were given VIP passes to Disneyland's grand opening on July 17, 1955 because she helped issue all of those building permits. Her boss, the head of the Anaheim building department, was given a life time pass to Disneyland. He could take anyone into the park, and even took Dave and I there shortly after we were married. He walked us through the gate with his "golden ticket", smiled and said, "Have a good time." It is a memory I will always treasure. He loved to "share" the fun.

I would be amiss if I did not tell the story of the bamboo, which my kids know well. When Disneyland was being built, they needed some bamboo for the Jungle Cruise attraction. My grandparents had some growing in their backyard against their back fence. They volunteered their plants and the rest is history. The bamboo growing along the river of the Jungle Cruise in Disneyland is from my grandparents backyard. My mom remembers it being a huge deal in her neighborhood when the Disney people came to her house to dig it up. Funny stuff, huh?

Now, to my dad. He worked at Disneyland while in high school. He worked at the Hills Brothers Coffee House inside the park. He met Walt Disney and saw him on many occasions. He said Walt used to come into the coffee house through the back and always ordered the same thing.....a slice of cheesecake and a cup of coffee. He said he was a very nice man. And if you ask my dad real nicely, he would love to tell you about the time he danced with Annette Funicello in the park. Wish I had a picture of that, dad!! Dad got free admission because he was an employee, and laughs when he tells us he would take his dates there to impress them. Little did they know, it was a cheap date. :)

So, there you have some neat little tid-bits about me and my family history. I am proud to pass these stories on to my kids. And, more than happy to take them to a Disney park to experience the magic I remember feeling as a kid when I visited the park, and still experience as an adult. To me it is a family legacy to be passed on.