WHAT WERE YOU DOING... on July 17, 1955? You might have not been born yet, true, but if you had arrived on earth, and you happened to be Southern California, in the vicinity of Orange County, in the city of Anaheim, and you'd been anticipating a certain debut of a certain park for weeks and weeks and weeks (oh golly just open already), then you might have been one of the first kids to dash down Disneyland's Main Street. Even if you weren't there on that famously hot day, where the ladies had dresses and heels on and Ronald Reagan and Art Linklater wore suits, then you've seen the footage.
MANY DISNEYLAND DEVOTEES... have watched a clip of opening day, which is practically a rite of park passage. So ask yourself this: Can you describe the opening days of the other places you go? No? No memory of them? Never saw the film? Yep: Disneyland's 1955 bow was one for the books for many people, a day that's still celebrated with much fanfare every five to ten years around the resort. And if you've done the math, which we'll guess you have -- you've calculated wait times for Space Mountain in your head before, we're sure -- you've figured out that 2015 is Disneyland's 60th anniversary year, and the resort has a full 'n festive slate of celebratory happenings.
THE ANNIVERSARY LINE-UP... was rolled out over the last week in January, and includes handsome new "D" medallions for both Sleeping Beauty's Castle and Disney California Adventure's Carthay Circle Theatre (very large medallions, as you can imagine). World of Color, which is also in Disney California Adventure, gets an anniversary refresh, and the "entire resort will sparkle with Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration decor and festive banners in shades of Disneyland blue." Look also for the debuting "Paint the Night" parade and a new "Disneyland Forever" fireworks spectacular. So when does all of the newness launch? About two months ahead of its July 17 birthday: May 22 is the date when the Diamond to-dos begin. And what's this rumor of the beloved but long-gone Hatbox Ghost returning to the Haunted Mansion? Count on seeing a few surprises you may not expect. But will people be in dresses and suits much as they were on Opening Day back in 1955? Even if not, there's always Dapper Day.
