Sunday, July 17, 2005

Black Sunday at Disneyland

There is an interesting article published by the Associated Press describing what took place at Disneyland on the day it first opened, often referred to as "Black Sunday". Despite all the fanfare, the writer recounts all the stuff that went wrong:
Long lines formed at the rides, forcing visitors to stand in the sweltering sun. Later it was discovered that counterfeit tickets had been used by the uninvited. Adding to the congestion, crashers scrambled over fences and berms in remote areas of the park.

Several of the rides shut down because of overuse, and by the end of the day all the "Autopia" cars had been sidelined. The deck of the river boat Mark Twain was awash; too many passengers had climbed aboard. And a gas leak was discovered in Tomorrowland, forcing evacuation of the entire area.

Refreshment stands quickly ran out of food and drink, and there were few drinking fountains. Women's spiked heels sank into the newly laid asphalt on Main Street. Families waited in long lines to use toilets. A saboteur snipped electrical lines in Fantasyland, bringing all rides to a halt.
I remember my first time visiting Disneyland, though I don't remember the date. It was like 1974, or something. I remember Monsanto's "Journey Through Inner Space". That was my favorite ride at the time. More recently, my wife and I would enjoy resting our feet on the longer rides like Disneyland Railroad, or the People Mover. Actually, I think the People Mover was the best ride they had!

The last time I went to Disneyland was a couple years ago, and it was on a Wednesday. Man, there were SO many people crammed into that park, and it wasn't even a weekend!

I'd like to read what you have to recall about Disneyland "back in the day". Click on "Post a Comment", and share it with us.

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