Monday, October 6, 2014

Epcot's Maelstrom has left the building ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqiVbM3iQdc&feature=youtu.be

The above link will take you to the sad video of the Maelstrom boats leaving Epcot.

I'll really miss this ride.  It was one of the only rides in Epcot and it actually did teach me about Norwegian culture and myths.

Sadly, we'll never be told to "Go baaaaaack!" again ...




Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The News: a new book about amusement parks is in the works!! More info to follow!!

Hello, fellow amusement park enthusiasts!  I've got some super-duper exciting news to share.  After some careful thought on the topic, I've decided to revisit a book idea that, actually, came before my journey to write "The Cotton Candy Road Trip".  But that book needed to be done when it did because the vintage parks that currently exist needed a champion.  And they still do.

However, what's been niggling at me for years now is that no one has really done a book about defunct Chicagoland amusement parks.

Well, I'm about to correct that grievous wrong.

Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for more information ...

Monday, March 17, 2014

Looking for Mary Blair (Part One) ...

Me making my "Shucky darns" face at the closed "Small World".  Please note I am wearing my Mary Blair "Small World" concept art t-shirt and carrying my Mary Blair-inspired Le Sportsac.  I take The Blair seriously, yes I do.
So, as part of a trip my hubby and I recently took to Southern California, while Chicago was swallowed up in yet another polar vortex, we decided to visit Disneyland - as one does. And, after receiving my wonderful 23-month calendar from D23 and knowing I'd soon be receiving my next D23 issue that was all about "It's a Small World" at the 1964-65 World's Fair, I decided to hold our Disney Day under the lens of the art of the magnificent Mary Blair, the Disney artist who was Walt's favorite, the woman who was responsible for the concept art for "Cinderella", "Peter Pan", and "Alice in Wonderland", and the driving force behind the ride, "It's a Small World", celebrating its 50th anniversary this year,. Little did I know I'd embark on quite an interesting journey.  You see, the aforementioned ride was closed for refurbishment, as was the Alice ride. The two bastions of Blairness, the places where one can actually ride through Mary's Wonderful World, were closed to us. Let the pouting begin: It was quite interesting to be encountered by a variety of folks, middle-aged, teens, college-aged, all asking us (while I was taking photos of the IASW ride area), "Man! I love this ride! When will it be running?" "Is the ride closed for just an hour or so?" "I came all the way here today to visit the ride. Bummer." Perhaps it was the way I was outfitted with Blair, but lots of folks asked me if I knew what was up.  What I learned was that the ride was being refurbed to meet all OSHA standards, would be up again in early April, then down again to complete the facelift, re-opening in time for its 50th birthday celebration. 
 
 
Undaunted, what I did was to seek out the art of this great creator of whimsy wherever I could find it. And I was heartened by the fact that the spirit of Ms. Blair dots Disneyland in a delightful way.
 
There's lots of "Blairness" to be had in the area right near the ride:
 
One of the delightful Children of the World, inside the gift shop at the ride's exit

Some of the swag inside aforementioned gift shop.  Next time, I'll be purchasing the "I conquered" t-shirt!

More great IASW swag.  Loving the throws!

Little Hawaiian Mary Blair girl

Ride attraction poster inside the gift shop.  Oddly, I could NOT find a copy to purchase anywhere at the park or at Downtown Disney, unless I wanted to do the "purchase and Print" option, which I didn't.  Wanted one of the pre-matted ones.  A "must get" to celebrate the anniversary!

Even a "Small World" - inspired trash can ...

 
 
Check in soon for part two of my "Looking for Mary Blair" at Disneyland escapade! 







Friday, March 14, 2014

The Cotton Candy Road Trip soon to be published and carried by Theme Park Press!


Exciting news on the book front!  I'm tickled pink to announce that "The Cotton Candy Road Trip" will be published by Theme Park Press very soon!  TPP focuses on books about Disney legends, Disney parks, amusement parks and amusement park history - and apparently my book fits the bill!  So the parks I visited, the stories I told, the journey I took will be receiving a much larger audience very soon!  I'm thrilled, excited, slack-jawed: the whole darned thing!

A small number of the original self-published version are sitting on a shelf in my basement, waiting for me to autograph and send to YOU!  If you're interested, please contact me directly.  The price is a low, low $17, and that includes free shipping!

I'm still pinching myself.  But not SO much that I can't autograph a few books and send them out ...

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Conneaut Lake Park - a vintage amusement park on tenterhooks ...

Unease is permeating my world right now ...



Here in the Greater Chicagoland area, we're experiencing a thaw of the mounds of snow that blanket the sidewalks, streets and green spaces.  We were hoping for a nice, slow, languid thaw, but instead, it appears that there will be thunderstorms and lightning tomorrow, dumping about an inch of rain throughout the morning which, added to the feet of accumulated snow, are setting the stage for Thawpocalypse: flooded rivers, streets, homes and basements.  In the 10 years we've lived here, we've dealt with four floods, lost thousands of dollars worth of personal property, and have become more and more wary of the area - and have talked of moving with increased frequency.  Not that we want to, but we just may have to, to preserve our collective sanity.

And now the troubling news out of Western Pennsylvania: Conneaut Lake Park (which I visited three times during the writing of my book, and slowly fell in lvoe with) will be sold in September in a tax sale.  Many factors (summed up very nicely in this wonderful article by Susan Glaser of Cleveland's Plain Dealer: http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2013/09/charming_conneaut_lake_park_st.html ) have led to this, none simple to comprehend or easy to remedy.

The park's future is truly in a state of suspended animation.  Should we fans of CLP prepare ourselves for the worst, taking our emotional easily-damaged properties off the floor, steeling ourselves for the flood?  Or will the tax sale be a huge blessing in disguise?  Will a caring party, wishing to keep the park and its history alive, purchase it and restore it to its former glory?

I'm still working on that Powerball win.  And I know exactly what I'll be doing with a portion of it.

Until then, I've got photo albums to move to higher, safer spaces.  And I've also got a park to visit this season, to pay it its due, no matter how the outcome of the sale unfolds.

Friday, February 14, 2014

I knew I renewed my D23 membership for a reason!





At first I thought it was because of the D23 Winter 2013 magazine and its exhaustive and wonderful edition that's all about "Saving Mr. Banks" and the making of the film, "Mary Poppins".  What I was shocked and amazed and giddy like a little girl over were the additional treats of the 23-month calendar and the beautiful facsimile invitation to the premiere of the film.  I got all trembly and weepy about this.  Imagine: you are invited to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre back in 1964 and Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and Walt Disney are all in attendance.  YOU are in the audience to witness Disney history!  I'd seen copies of the invite at Walt Disney World, in the window of the building that houses the Great Movie ride.  Even though it's a copy, it's close enough for jazz to me.

But imagine my pixilated delight over the news of what the D23 Spring Issue will hold:

https://d23.com/visit-disney-at-the-1964-65-worlds-fair-in-the-spring-issue-of-disney-twenty-three/?CMP=EMC-eml&att=20140213_D23_FanFare



Anyone who knows me klnows that it's ALL about the Blair.  Mary Blair, that is.  Her playfulness, use of dark and light, bold color choices made her Walt's favorite artist.  In an age when female artists were not as thoughtfully recognized for their talent, Mary was the exception.  So it is with great, ridiculously effervescent excitement that I await this issue.

Blair is what it's all about.  Might I say, it's Mary Blairiffic?



Wednesday, January 15, 2014

All the updates on Club 33 at Disneyland that you'll ever need.

Folks, it's been a while since I've blogged here; it's off season, we got through the holidays, I've been super busy with other stuff.  But I wanted to present the following link:

http://disneydose.com/club-33-preview-center/#axzz2qVF4Er28

If, like me, you are a Court of Angels fan, you need to read this article, because it's a very thorough dissertation on the expansion of Club 33 - and also gives some reasons as to why our beloved Court of Angels was closed.

Verdict: excited about the Club 33 changes, especially since they seem to be incorporating some ideas from "The Princess and the Frog", but extremely irritated at the fact that only Club 33 members will be able to enjoy the Court.

And just a couple days ago, DisneyDose posted this last look at Club 33 before the re-do:

http://disneydose.com/club-33/#axzz2qVKWudap

Ah well, time to get in touch with some folks who know some folks who know some folks who are members ...