1995 USAIDS 5,000
(20th Anniversary Pictorial Tour)
Post #68:
[ Excerpts
from AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM STORY accompany each photo, edited to show
actual names. ]
~~~
Picture #170
[
One reporter after another asked, “What do you want to do when your
trip is over?” We replied, “Disney Land, of course,” and why not?
Isn’t that what you hear on all the commercials? Disney Land it was,
thanks to the combined efforts of Carl Lebman,
the Children’s and VA Hospitals of Buffalo, and Disney, Incorporated,
who invited our team to dream the Disney dream. In excess of
hundred-degree heat, I played kid, dragging Carl to the Bobsleds, Space
Mountain, Small World, Lion King Parade, and monorail. The trip wouldn’t
be complete without a photo shoot with none other than Mickey Mouse. .
.] (Picture from August 28, 1995
— with Lebman Carl
That was great that you got to go. I, myself, do not have that destination on my bucket list.
[
. . . Being fried (literally and figuratively) by afternoon, we headed
back to the hotel to crash and rest up for round two that evening. . . ]
(Photos from August 28, 1995)
~~~
Picture #172
[
. . . As the evening opened with the Parade of Lights by GE, we
marveled at floats and characters from many films, all in millions of
miniature lights, including illuminated costumes. I was enchanted and
amazed at how the music score was synchronized from float to float.
Independently unique, but equally impressive, was the grand fireworks
display at Peter Pan’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom. (It was a distant
interpretation of my Peter Pan role back in Leroy, Indiana.) Not even
that could compete with Fantasmic, an outdoor spectacle of such grand
scale that only Disney could create it. . .] (Picture from August 28,
1995)
~~~
Picture #173
[
. . . The Fantasmic plot stars Mickey with his own quest to dream. The
Evil Queen from Snow White fights for control of Mickey’s dreams,
thereby turning them into nightmares. Prior to the show, a cute
two-year-old toddler named Christian entertained us with antics
involving his flashlight, which was equipped with fiberglass light
streams. Carl kept getting stabbed in the ribs, while I endured
bops over the head. When finally worn out, the lad plopped down in the
most comfortable spot he saw—my lap. Once the show began, Christian
stood, clinging to Carl’s neck for the full twenty-five-minute
extravaganza. That speaks well for the production, which includes live
musical performances, animated characters, strobe and laser light shows,
cartoon visuals on water screens, fountains and fireworks, live and
taped sound effects, a real pirate ship (complete with Captain Hook and
his acrobatic sword fights), and the Mark Twain Steamboat hosting all
the Disney characters. Orchestrated to perfection, this creation remains
the most elaborate production I have ever witnessed. It was truly
magic, and proof that we’re never too old to be a kid! ] (Picture and
admission ticket from August 28, 19950
— with Lebman Carl
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