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 the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
These were the words spoken by Walt Disney on July 17, 1955 at the dedication ceremony for Disneyland. Most Disney fans have probably seen the video of Walt delivering this speech. You may have even seen the entire event that was covered on ABC for viewers everywhere to see the big events of the opening. From the way Disney does everything now, we can’t imagine anything having gone wrong on the opening day of Disneyland, but it did. With all the planning and work that Walt and his team of Imagineers put in to the creation of the “Happiest Place on Earth,” there was unfortunately some failures.
The day of the opening was just suppose to be for special invited guests and the media. Of the 20,000 expected, almost 33,000 attended the opening. The “uninvited” had actually purchased counterfeit tickets. Imagine the impact so many more people than expected had on the Employees and just the overall experience of the day for guests.
Due to the larger than expected crowd, the lines for the 20 rides were longer than expected and some even broke down.
Because they were so many extra people, they actually ran out of food and beverages.
The Mark Twain Steamboat nearly capsized from the amount of guests.
Due to a plumber’s strike, Walt was forced to make a decision to either have working toilets or drinking fountains. Picking to have working toilets rather than water fountains, Walt was accused of doing this in an effort to sell more soda.
That morning, they had laid fresh asphalt down Main Street U.S.A., but the heat was much higher than expected (over 100 degrees) that the asphalt never set and ladies high heel shoes were getting stuck in the street.
Even with all these bad thing happening, Walt kept moving forward. He learned from the problems that occurred and fixed them. He was always improving and moving forward. If it wasn’t for Walt’s will to make his dream work, we wouldn’t have our beloved Disney parks. Walt is an inspiration to many because he always was pushing forward. He didn’t let failure’s determine his legacy.
As co-owner and co-creator of The Main Street Mouse.Working in a technical support position for 18 years, it was time for a change.As the Webmaster and Project Planner, I spend most of my time researching everything from the latest Disney News, technology advances and of course keeping up on all the Marvel news that comes out.I never considered myself a writer but I’ve come to like blogging and sharing news with all.I feel blessed everyday that I get to spend my days working with my best friend and love of my life while we continue to grow and expand what started as a hobby all those years ago.
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