The Anaheim Times
Tuesday July 19, 195510 Cents
A Disney Disaster
On Sunday Walt Disney opened his latest vision and creation…Disneyland. The theme park is located in Anaheim, California. The park opened at 9am. As families and children arrived to the park, they were greeted by the two dozen Mouseketeers wearing cowboy hats. These Mouseketeers are hand picked teens and pre-teens who perform dances and songs all day throughout Disneyland.
At the start of the day, Walt Disney watched from his apartment overlooking the park. Soon after, he read the dedication of the park in front of the awaiting crowds. It read, “To all who 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 ideas, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America – with the hope that it will be the joy and inspiration to all the world.” The dedication was followed by a parade, where Walt rode in a car beside the governor of California. The band played “Stars and Stripes Forever” during the parade.
Unfortunately the day was not filled with the ideal and immaculate conditions that Walt had envisioned. The opening of the park was supposed to be by “invitation only”. Reports suggest that fake invitations had been counterfeit and delivered to hundreds of people. As a result, too many people arrived at the opening day of the park. The park didn’t have enough trash cans, water fountains, or restrooms for all of the patrons. Some of the rides broke down and the lines for the rides were horrendously long, cement in some places was still wet, and the paint from the asphalt began to melt from the heat. Some women actually left their high heels stuck in the asphalt.
There were many celebrities who attended the opening day of Disneyland, such as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. Regardless of the large crowds and big turnout, Walt Disney must make several improvements and changes before people would consider returning to the park. One mother complained, “Today was a miserable experience for both my family and I. It was unbearably hot, the food was less than mediocre, the long lines tired the children, and the restrooms and streets were terribly filthy. One this is for sure, the Disney brothers sure made their money today. They won’t be getting anymore of mine until they make some real changes to this place.” Similar sentiments were overheard by other park patrons.
Looks like the latest and greatest Disney creation will not have such a happy ending after all.