These are some of the photos I took of Spaceship Earth
at EPCOT's 30th Anniversary on
October 1, 2012
--DisneyDad
Showing posts with label 30th Anniversary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 30th Anniversary. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
A Walk Around The World With Ridge -- Sugar Ray
I was at Disney for Epcot's 30th Birthday. It was also the first weekend for the Eat to the Beat concert series. Sugar Ray performed and, thanks to the planning of some friends, we had front row seats. Here are a few pictures I took of the concert. Enjoy!
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| Brie touching Mark...SFW, lol |
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| The ladies enjoying the show. |
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| Shalon excited to get a pick! |
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| And for your enjoyment... N'Sync
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Friday, October 5, 2012
EPCOT Center 30th Anniversary: we were there!
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| Spaceship Earth |
October 1, 2012 was the 30th Anniversary of Epcot
or as I still remember it: EPCOT Center.
We were there to report on as much of the events as we could… and to
take in a little of Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival while we were
there. I hope you have seen some of the
pictures and live posts that are on Growing Up Disney as we witnessed the
celebration.
The day started with us arriving at Epcot shortly after 8am
for the 9 o’clock opening. At 9 the PA
system made an announcement of the event and then streamers went everywhere
from the tops over the turnstiles. Then
we were off. Once inside cast members
were handing out 30th Anniversary Buttons and Commemorative maps
which showed the history and development of Epcot. To the
left of Spaceship Earth we could see a line had formed that stretched from
there to Mouse Gear where the “limited edition” merchandise was being
sold. Later we heard people were
standing in line for 4 hours to buy the buttons, t-shirts, and other items. A quick look at the schedule showed there was
no Anniversary events scheduled until 1pm. So Ridge and I by-passed the extremely long
line and strolled up the right side of Spaceship Earth and stopped in at The
Art of Disney.
In the Art of Disney we stumbled across a 30th
Anniversary piece of art by Larry Dotson titled “Figment celebrates Epcot”. We picked up the last two copies (or at least
the last two that were out) and had them signed by Mr. Dotson and dated “Oct.
1, 2012.” We then strolled around the fountain
and over to the former Wonders of Life Pavilion that serves as the EIF&WF
Festival Center. Ridge picked up a few souvenirs
from the Festival and we happened up on the Chase Credit Card (Disney Visa)
lounge. Here Ridge met up with some of his twitter friends
and we picked up arm bands for reserved seating for the Sugar Ray concert and
the Chase reserved area to watch Illuminations.
Speaking at the event were Erin Youngs, Epcot Vice
President; Jim MacPhee, Walt Disney World Senior Vice President, and Meg
Crofton, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations President, United States and
France.
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| Guidemap & Button |
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| Figment celebrates Epcot |
I managed to hit a few of the Food & Wine booths before
heading to the World Showplace Events Pavilion for Designing the Future: Past
and Present – a presentation by 9 Imagineers.
Three served as MC’s and the other 6 (I don’t have names as I did not
have anything to take notes with) were there 30 years ago and involved in the
creation of EPCOT Center. No pictures or
recording were allowed as they spoke of building Walt’s dream and their part in
the building of EPCOT, complete with pictures of some much younger men.
Then it was back to the America Gardens Theater for the 30th
Anniversary Ceremony. The 45-minute
presentation opened with three songs by Mexico’s Mariachi Cobre, while
America’s Voices of Liberty performed its opening day song,
"Shenandoah." Both musical groups were part of Epcot since 1982, and
their 30-year members were individually recognized. Five members of the Mariachi Cobre and one of
the Voices of Liberty have been performing since the opening in 1982.
All three talked about the importance of people to Epcot,
from Walt Disney’s original vision for the Experimental Prototype Community of
Tomorrow to guests who visit and make memories to the Cast Members who “live”
in the park.
Ms. Crofton also thanked the more 150 Walt Disney World Cast
members who worked at Epcot on opening day and still work there, as well as the
several guests in the audience who were both in the park for the celebration
and on Oct. 1, 1982.
Disney Legend Marty Sklar did two presentations titled
Epcot: How it Changed the World, which unfortunately I missed. The day ended with a BANG! – Literally, as an extended 30th Anniversary
version of Illuminations took place. The
10 minute extended version was louder and bigger explosions until the finale
shook the ground with the percussion of the exploding fireworks.
Happy Anniversary EPCOT!!!
At the end of the day, I really knew the meaning of EPCOT –
where Every Person Comes Out Tired.
Thank you Walt for your vision to build an entertainment destination you
called The Florida Project, but we know as Epcot and Walt Disney World.
--DisneyDad
Monday, October 1, 2012
Happy Anniversary EPCOT
It has been a long but wonderful day of celebration.
--DisneyDad
Growing Up Disney @ EPCOT
For those of you who follow podcasts, I just talked to Lou Mongello of WDWRadio.
--DisneyDad
Growing Up Disney @ EPCOT
-- DisneyDad
In Celebration of Epcot's 30th Anniversary...Off Kilter
I originally wrote this post as a part of the 30 Days to 30 Years series hosted by DISTherapy and Pursuing the Magic. I'm sharing it here for today's big anniversary. Hope you enjoy the videos at the end of the article. Ridge and DisneyDad are at Epcot today so keep an eye out here and on twitter (@cwridgeway) for updates on the festivities. ~Amy
I didn't realize that Off Kilter started at Epcot in 1997 until this series of blog posts was suggested. My college program term was at the end of that year so I guess I have been a fan since the beginning. Now, I rarely make a trip to Walt Disney World without catching at least one Off Kilter performance. I keep their 5 CDs loaded on my iPhone. The uptempo songs are terrific for running or just motivation to do housework. "Follow Me Off to Carlow", "Irish Rover" and "Whiskey in the Jar" are just a few of my favorite Off Kilter songs.
In case you aren't familiar with them, Off Kilter is the house band of sorts at the Canadian pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase. I'm going to let the guys describe themselves. This is from the home page of their website. Off Kilter is a high-energy, progressive Celtic band that blends many hard-driving musical styles, bringing a whole new twist to Celtic music. The only thing I'd add to their description is humor. An Off Kilter show is musically enjoyable with quite a few laughs thrown in. They sing rock songs with a Celtic twist, traditional songs with a rock edge and even a few original songs.
Check out the Off Kilter website to hear more music, read bios on the band members, see available merchandise, etc. Randy Holbrook is the lead guitarist and I discovered that he plays not only with Off Kilter but also with a New Age band and in a show at Sea World. If you look through my photos of the group, you'll notice a few new faces. Since it's a regular five day a week gig, from time to time, someone is sick or on vacation and another musician will take his place.
Check out the Off Kilter website to hear more music, read bios on the band members, see available merchandise, etc. Randy Holbrook is the lead guitarist and I discovered that he plays not only with Off Kilter but also with a New Age band and in a show at Sea World. If you look through my photos of the group, you'll notice a few new faces. Since it's a regular five day a week gig, from time to time, someone is sick or on vacation and another musician will take his place.
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| Yes, I totally ripped this off their site. Screenshot! |
We usually tour Epcot so we'll end up in the vicinity of Canada in the afternoon or evening. It's so much fun to be near the World Showcase Lagoon, enjoying some Celtic rock, a good beer and hopefully a light breeze. Regarding the beverage, the stage at Canada is conveniently located between stands selling Canadian and British beers, so arrive a little early and pick up some refreshments. If you are lucky enough to be visiting during the Food and Wine Festival, there is usually an additional beer marketplace in this area so your options are expanded.
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I was in the parks alot in 1997. In January, I took a trip with my three best friends during our university's January break. We had a great time being a bunch of big kids, wearing silly hats at Magic Kingdom and doing cartwheels at Epcot. Oh goodness, I doubt I could do that now. Anyway, I still think of my friend Michelle every time I pass that area at World Showcase. Another funny Epcot memory from that trip is the mime at France. For some reason we all thought he was really cute and caught his show a couple of times.
In August of 1997, I moved into Vista Way and began work at Crystal Palace. I've finally found my scrapbook after our move so I'll share more about that soon.
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A few videos of Off Kilter my brother and I have taken over the years....
"Run, Run Away"
"Run, Run Away" bagpipe solo
"Follow Me Off to Carlow" bagpipe solo
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Growing Up Disney @ MK
Note the GUD button at the bottom of the picture.
-- DisneyDad
Growing Up Disney @ WDW
Ridge and DisneyDad have arrived at WDW for Epcot's 30th anniversary. Right now we are on the bus headed to the Magic Kingdom. More to follow....
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Photo Flashback! Tigger
The Flower and Garden Festival takes place from late March thru the first week of May. Here's a picture of my favorite Pooh Corner resident.
- Posted by Ridge using BlogPress from my iPhone
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