Okay,
we are self-confessed theme park junkies. We were two of the many kids who grew
up watching the TV show Disneyland, an unabashed infomercial for Walt Disney’s
new amusement park being built in Anaheim, CA.
We
were both children at the time, but we each went to the park (the term ‘theme
park’ was yet to come) during its first year of operation.
My
grandmother took my mother, brother, and me in August, 1955, one month after
opening, for my birthday. None of us knew exactly what to expect, but Ron and I
had been well-primed. The place more than lived up to our expectations. Since I
was already in love with fairy tales, the magic captured me immediately.
Larry
went first on his brother’s birthday the following March and again on his own
birthday in April. He loved it as much as I. We discovered our mutual addiction
when we were dating, and in fact, attended the very first New Year’s Eve Party
at the park.
We
continued to go through the years, and I can’t ever recall having anything but
a great time.
That’s
probably why when Larry was offered a job helping to build the Universal
Studios Japan theme park in Osaka, Japan, he jumped at the chance. Well, being
able to work on Jurassic Park, JAWS and WaterWorld didn’t hurt! The extra bonus
was a job for me in Document Control once we arrived in Japan.
During
our time there, we made good friends and really got to know the ins and outs of
theme park construction. That knowledge merely increased our love for that form
of escapist entertainment. We even wrote a book about it: 31 Months in Japan: The Building
of a Theme Park.
After
we returned to California, our daughter, Kim, began working at Disneyland, so we bought
annual passes. We’ve had them nearly every year since.
We
recently celebrated our forty-seventh anniversary. Where did we go? To Disney,
of course. Although this time we chose Disney’s California Adventure since we
hadn’t ridden on two of the new rides in Cars Land. And, once again, we had a
ball.
How
about you? Do you like theme parks, too?