HoJo Anaheim

END OF AN ERA:

Several hundred people danced the night away on April 28 2012, as Disneyland gets ready to transform the Carnation Plaza Gardens into the Fantasy Faire. This stage has hosted greats like Buddy Rich, Louis Armstrong, and The Elliot Brothers just to name a few and also holds the title of the longest running Big Band Swing Stage in the world! Stan Freese, head of the Disneyland Band was there that night, and he told me a little bit about how this stage came to be and Disney’s plans for the future.

Here is a picture of me along with the man himself, Stan Freese.

The Big Bands started playing at Carnation Plaza Gardens in 1959, and when the original band leaders started to pass away, the bands got different people to front the band, but Disneyland kept paying the same amount of money. When these big bands played seven nights a week in the summer, the money definitely added up, so Stan was asked to form their own ‘Disneyland Big Band’. Stan also encouraged the dancers to dress up in World War II costumes, and a lot of the non-dancing guests got a kick out of seeing guys and gals in uniform letting loose on the dance floor. The Carnation Plaza Gardens stage played a key role in the resurgence of Swing Dancing in the 90’s. While this stage is closed now, the bands and the dancers will be transplanted to the Downtown Disney District every Saturday night. Also, after the Fantasy Faire is completed, the stage area will again be used to host Big Bands and swing dancers at night, so all is not lost.

There are plenty of attractions that have been replaced over the years, but it’s definitely sad to see one of the last remaining venues go away that has been unchanged since opening day. However, I have to say that the bands and the dancers gave the perfect goodbye to their beloved stage that night. A lot of people were dressed in Hawaiian shirts to wave “Aloha” to the Carnation Plaza Gardens and to the end of an era.

That’s it for now. See you at the Parks!

Tommy

Just in case you didn’t know, Cars Land will be opening to the general public on June 15. In the mean time, Annual Passholders who can’t wait until then to start spending money on Cars Land Merchandise (this guy) had a chance to do so during the Merchandise Preview event ;).

The event was held in Stage 17 in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in DCA and you had to show your Annual Pass along with a picture ID to enter.

There is a small display outside that shows the majority of the merchandise available for purchase.

It looked like Disney expected a lot of people by the amount of empty space they had inside. There were also plenty of cashiers to help out guests with their purchases.

Here is a preview of the costumes for Buena Vista Street:

After ElecTRONica powers down, The Mad T Party will take its place. There was a small section that showcased the costumes and merchandise as well, but none were available for purchase.

They did have some samples of the special food and drink items that will be available at the Mad T Party including Dill-Flavored Popcorn (?) and Cotton Candy-flavored and Granny Apple-flavored frozen drinks. I wasn’t a big fan of the popcorn, but the Cotton Candy drink was pretty good.

Heres a picture of the costumes for Cars Land:

Lightning McQueen and Mater were available for a photo op

And now for the Cars Land and California Adventure merchandise!

One last look at the preview area

That will do it for this update. Thanks for stopping by and see you at DCA & CARS LAND!

Cheers,
Tom-Mater

Its been years in the making, but the date for the official opening of Cars Land has been set for June 15, 2012! Ride testing is already taking place to make sure everything is ready for the big day. Over at the Blue Sky Cellar Preview Center, they have changed their displays to focus on Cars Land just in case you’re like me and just can’t wait that long!

Inside the center, they have plenty of concept art and blueprints to look at so you can follow the Imagineers’ creative process from the very beginning. It makes it that more special when you see it completed, which is why I love visiting this place!

There is also a scale model of Cars Land at the center of the room, where you can get a bird’s-eye view of how massive this expansion is. The main attraction, Radiator Springs Racers, takes up half of Cars Land!

While you’re there, make sure to take time to watch the video that plays in the theater. Its much longer than any other video I’ve seen them play there, but it’s well worth it. John Lasseter and his team talk about their journey into making Cars Land a reality. At the opposite end of the theater is the shovel that was used for breaking ground, signed by the team.

As of now, there is no word of any early previews for Passholders yet, but if they have one and I get selected, you can bet I will have pictures for you all. Until then, June 15 is circled on my calendar! See you all at the Parks!

.

Tommy

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Its the most wonderful time of the year! No, it’s not the holidays, but it is off-season! :)  Lines are really short and crowds are really minimal, especially on weekdays. I recently paid a visit to a very neglected attraction in the park, The Disneyland Opera House (opened in 1973). It’s no surprise why it rarely gets visited because it is right at the start of Main Street as you enter the park. Most of the time people are rushing to get to Star Tours or Space Mountain, and walk right past this hidden gem.

In the lobby of the Opera House is a small display of Disneyland history. History was not my favorite subject in school, but if it’s Disney, I’m all for it! They have a scale model of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and Splash Mountain on display, as well as idea boards that show how some lands in the park came about.

They also have a display of the original ticket books that were used before the current ticket system took place. What I love about this display in particular is that moment when kids ask the adults what those books were used for. All of a sudden, stories start pouring out from the adults, and the kids realize that the adults are just kids at heart too (cue the awwww sound).

There are several other things that I didn’t take a picture of so you can enjoy it for yourself the next time you enter the parks, including a model of the entire park when it opened, and an actual park bench that Walt Disney sat on when he was inspired to make Disneyland.

Hope to see you at the parks soon!

Tommy “Honest Abe” Lincoln ;)

*Planning a stay near the Disneyland Resort? Make the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel at Disneyland your home base for RETRO FAMILY FUN! Visit our website for the famous MATTERCAM, videos, and more information on this piece of Anaheim history!CLICK HERE TO BEGIN THE MAGIC…

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t just visit the bars when i go to the parks.  I also enjoy visiting those places that don’t get as much traffic as other parts. The Blue Sky Cellar in Disney California Adventure showcases the plans and ideas for future projects in the parks. Their focus this time is on Buena Vista Street, which is the future name of the main entry walkway into DCA. Just as Main Street USA represents a town Walt Disney grew up in, Buena Vista Street represents Los Angeles during the time he arrived in California to start making films.

The California Adventure entrance, modeled after the Pan Pacific Auditorium, will be your first stop into your journey back in time. At the center of the main entry courtyard will be a new statue of Walt and Mickey called “Storytellers”. This statue shows a younger Walt Disney as he would have looked right when he arrived, complete with the clothes trunk.

One thing that California Adventure lacked, among many things in its early days, was a form of in-park transportation. One of the reasons why Main Street felt like Main Street was the presence of cars, buses, and horses going from one end to the other. The Imagineers took note and added Red Car Trolleys that will take guests from Buena Vista Street, to Hollywood Tower.

At the end of Buena Vista Street will be the Carthay Circle Theater. This is a nod to the original theater that premiered Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs back in December 1937.

I personally can’t wait until Buena Vista Street is finished along with Cars Land in 2012. It’s going to make my decision of what park to visit much harder. Tough problem right?

Til next time!

Tommy

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