By Dr. Tim Seelig–
The word Disney means different things to different people. To young’uns, it’s a streaming platform for phones or tablets. To many, it is part of a compound word that includes either land or world. To yet others, it is a worldwide conglomerate raking in $90 billion in 2023 from not-so-small ears of a squeaky little mouse and his girlfriend. To politicians in Florida, it’s the devil’s den of woke people. To my grandkids this past week, it was a whirlwind of princesses and rides and snacks.
Regardless of what the word Disney conjures up for you, I hope my journeys conjure up your own memories of summer vacations.
My first trip to Disneyland was in 1961. Disneyland was 6 years old; I was 10. My family didn’t do summer vacations per se. If there was something interesting to see on our way to a Southern Baptist Convention, we might stop. Then my aunt, uncle, and three cousins invited my brother and me to go to Disneyland with them! There were 7 of us in a brand new 1960 Ford Country Squire station wagon with wood side panels, called a woody. Think National Lampoon’s Vacation. The cousins were rich. They were also Catholic. My parents still let us go. We departed Fort Worth for the drive to Los Angeles: two adults in the front bench seat, three kids in the back seat, and two in the third seat that faced backward! In 1960, only 20% of cars had air conditioning. We were one of them. It blew air slightly cooler than the outside temperature and certainly didn’t reach the third row.
We made our way slowly across the arid Southwest. Each day, we stopped for lunch made from the ice chest strapped up top with our minimal luggage. Baloney or peanut butter. Stops were at Tourist Courts. The kids prayed for a swimming pool, answered approximately 50% of the time. We played car games and sang songs. As Catholics, they knew none of the Baptist kid repertoire. We made do. One of our cousins delighted in farting in the car. My aunt and uncle thought it was funny. They also drank wine with dinner. There was hope our songs might convert them.
Finally, we arrived at the dazzling destination of our dreams: Disneyland! We stayed two whole days! That was plenty. Did you know you can find the Disneyland map from any year since its opening? Our map said, “Your Disneyland admission includes access to the four ‘lands’ and Main Street and the many shows and exhibits sponsored by nationally famous companies.” Almost everything at the park was sponsored. You could drop your pet off outside the Main Gate, kept and fed by Ken-L Ration. There was a Bank of America on Main Street USA since we didn’t have credit cards or ATMs. Monsanto presented the House of the Future, showing how plastic might be used in the home of the future. My personal favorite was the Wurlitzer Music Hall, which displayed pianos and organs and had daily organ recitals! We drove halfway across the country to hear an organ recital. Lord, have mercy!
But wait, there were the iconic Dumbo Flying Elephants, Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan Fight, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Jungle Boat Cruise, Matterhorn, and Submarine Voyage! There were also horse-drawn carriages and pack mules through the “wilderness.” That would never happen today. Horse poop on Main Street? Horrors. It was fabulous! Then we started the dry, hot 1500-mile drive home: baloney, wine, and flatulence.
Fast forward 63 years to a single day at Disneyland. There were only 6 of us: me, Bobby Jo, my son, and 3 grandgirls: one aged 8 and 4-year-old twins. My son, being a smart one, took advantage of a Disney VIP guide. It’s expensive but worth every penny. Rides with waiting times of 2–3 hours took us 5 minutes. There was no “what do you all want to do next” or “that ride is all the way across the park.” Had we not had him, the 93-degree day could have easily turned from dream to nightmare.
With Alfredo’s deft guidance, we did 14 rides. I sat out the scary rides with the “littles.” Alfredo also helped us avoid merchandising around every corner, promising the girls our day would end at the best shop in the land! Sure enough, at 5 pm, we ended up at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. They were almost too tired to select a pair of mouse ears! We headed home at 8 pm, opting not to stay for the 9:30 pm fireworks in order to avoid a complete emotional meltdown … mine.
Considering that the whole Disney vs. DeSantis kerfuffle started with his ridiculous “Don’t say gay” agenda, one of the most fun things was walking through Disneyland holding my husband’s hand. I may have spotted a few “family” members in the crowd, but I’m pretty sure we frightened the rest of the park visitors. Now, I must put Gay Days at Disney on my bucket list. I can just imagine that bursting into showtunes while waiting for rides would make them go faster!
I will continue to be a big fan of all things Disney. One of the best things they’ve done is the recent partnership with gay choruses across the country in creating “Disney Pride,” a 2-hour extravaganza of all your favorite songs. I hope you caught it when the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus presented it and blew the roof off Davies Symphony Hall.
There are countless things for which I am deeply grateful to Disney. At the end of the day, I have taken to heart the 1940 lyrics sung by Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio:
“When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are.”
Dr. Tim Seelig is the Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. http://www.timseelig.com/
TLC: Tears, Laughs, and Conversations
Published on August 8, 2024
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