As my brother, mother, and I walked through the gate at around 10:00 am, the first thing we noticed were the free Mickey Ears being given out to each visitor. My brother – who had accompanied me to the 40th Anniversary in 1995 – and I both remarked that these gold ears were quite an upgrade from the party hats they gave out ten years ago. The cast members were very generous with the ears and we eventually got more than our fair share when we exited and re-entered the park. One similarity, though, to the 1995 event were the same ubiquitous cupcakes throughout the park. Cast members even came out onto Main St. carrying overflowing trays to hand the pastries to passersby.

	Handing Out Ears	The Beginning of the Main Ceremony On Main Street

     We soon realized that 10:00 am was probably the wrong time to show up as the main ceremony was just about to start and Main Street was packed from sidewalk to sidewalk. The park was so crowded that we were routed past the First Aid station on Main St. through the backstage (which was lined by cast members) and into the exit area of Space Mountain. We thought we could watch the event for sure on the giant screen towering over the patio of Space Mountain. We soon found, though, that Tomorrowland was just as packed as Main St. When we finally found a place where we could see the screen, I was forced to crouch next to a curb right outside “Club Buzz.” I couldn’t even stand up or the people behind me sitting at the tables would become quite vocally annoyed.

	Walking Backstage to Tomorrowland	Art Linkletter Speaks On the Tomorrowland Big Screen

     The ceremony itself was understated but emotional and was only ruined by an appearance by a certain California Governor. The speech by Art Linkletter, who was celebrating his 93rd birthday that day, gave touching anecdotes about his involvement with the opening 50 years ago (he was Master of Ceremonies for the ABC broadcast). After appearances by incoming and outgoing CEO’s Bob Iger and Michael Eisner, Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared onstage with much fanfare and was given, oddly enough, a motorcycle. He also made some inappropriate and incongruously political comments about how many jobs Disneyland created for the state, which temporarily stalled the ceremony’s “magic.” It was saved by Diane Disney Miller, one of Walt’s daughters, who gave a loving salute to her father and related a charming story about Opening Day. She said she was not present on Opening Day and, in fact, none of Walt’s family was invited because he said he had enough things to worry about that day without his kids being there.

     After the ceremony and a few souvenirs at the crowded Star Trader, we made our way to the refuge of DCA. It was peaceful over at the sister park and quite beautiful on a Sunday morning. We realized that we could have watched the ceremony much easier on the big screen set up in Sunshine Plaza. Nevertheless, we had a nice relaxing, lunch at the Wine Country Trattoria right when it opened. After dropping off our ears and other goodies at the car we charged back into the fray at Disneyland. We decided – foolishly perhaps – that we should brave the big souvenir frenzy at Big Thunder Ranch. This was, in retrospect, a bad idea. We joined the line at the bridge next to Big Thunder Mountain. It didn’t seem that long and moved quickly until we actually got inside the ranch. Awaiting us was a massive tent that housed an equally massive line. Thankfully, Disneyland had set up some portable “Big Fogg’s” to spray cool mist on us as we trudged back and forth through the queue. One of the big screens ran continuous footage from the history of the park, which kept us moderately entertained. By the time we got to the end of line, we realized that the merchandise was basically the same as you could buy elsewhere (especially since we hadn’t gotten there nearly early enough to get the voucher for the special “I Was There July 17, 2005” pin).

	Entering the Merchandise Mess	The Tent of Doom

     We bided time with some cupcakes until the other special ceremony of the day, the rebroadcast of Walt Disney’s Welcome Speech. It was shown on all the screens throughout the park at the exact time – 4:45 PM – as in 1955. This ended up being much more emotional than the earlier ceremony. I think everyone felt more connected to Walt via the grainy, black-and-white images of the past than they did being in the same park as Arnold and Eisner. We watched it in front of the castle, which provided a great backdrop (even if it wasn’t Town Square where the original speech was given). The short speech was followed by LeAnn Rimes singing Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary theme song, “Remember When.” Looking at the crowd, I noticed quite a few teary eyes. It was quite a moving moment for those of us who grew up in Disneyland; spending almost every birthday there and cherishing each summer visit to the park.

	LeAnn Sings as the Doves Circle	Free Cupcakes

     After the speech, we had a quiet dinner – and a few more cupcakes – at Rancho del Zocalo. The park seemed to be emptying out after the emotional crest of the speech re-broadcast. We too felt the fatigue of a crowded, hot day so we decided to head home with the sun setting over the park. The first half-century was over but I was sure that it was just the beginning of another great 50 years and beyond for The Happiest Place on Earth. I can only hope I’m there for the big 100. And with any luck, the Imagineers will have by then figured out that whole, uncomfortable “heat” thing.