Spending any
holiday at Walt Disney World can be a very special and of course, magical
experience. For the holidays, Disney goes all out with festive decorations, holiday
appropriate back ground music, new holiday costumes for the characters, special
parades and the all-important holiday fireworks display. Most guests are familiar
with these kinds of details when it comes to Disney’s celebration of
Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas…but what about the birthday of our
nation? Well, would you believe me if I said that the Magic Kingdom celebrates
America every day? On the 4th of July, the Magic Kingdom does have
several great festivities such as a special flag retreat ceremony, veteran
salutes during the parades and an incredible fireworks display with a 360
fireworks finale that rings the park…but what about all the other days of the
year?...
Walt Disney
was a very patriotic man. In 1917, while Walt’s family was living in Chicago,
Walt dropped out of high school to join the United States Army to join the
troops fighting in World War I. Walt never did get to join the military though
as he was rejected for being underage. This didn’t stop him from wanting to
support the troops and to show his patriotism, so he found another way to get
involved with the war by joining the Red Cross as an ambulance driver. Walt
spent the final year of the war in France assisting injured and fallen soldiers.
Besides his
military involvement, Walt’s love of all-things Americana was really started
when he was just a young boy growing up in the small town of Marceline,
Missouri. Walt was often quoted about his fond memories growing up in this
small mid-western town and how it embodied, to him, everything that was great
about our country. In fact, Walt Disney used Marceline as his foundation when
creating Main St. USA, an all-American street where every day is the 4th
of July. Main St. USA is also specially decorated during the 4th of
July with flags, buntings and other red, white and blue decorations.
Walt didn’t
stop showing his patriotism at Main St. USA, in fact he carried it through the
whole Magic Kingdom park. Cinderella Castle rests at the end of Main St. USA,
an incredible, beautiful, almost unbelievable sight at the end of the road. The
Castle represents the American Dream, where hard work and dedication (represented
in the realistic Main St. USA) would eventually lead you to fulfilling all of
your dreams, no matter how fantastic
they are.
Looking to
left of the Castle, you have Adventureland, celebrating the pioneers and the
risk-takers that set-out to make discoveries such as the great journey
Christopher Columbus took where he discovered America. Frontierland continues
on celebrating pioneers, the Oregon trail, the settlers making their journey
out west where they struck gold and built railroads to connect our great
country. Liberty Square…well, need I say more? Celebrating colonial times and
paying respect to our country’s Presidents. And Tomorrowland, a glimpse at the
future, at the amazing potential our country has to develop and foster new and innovative
ideas.
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