MAGICAL MEMORIES DISNEYLAND, ON CUSP OF 50-YEAR MILESTONE, REMAINS HAPPIEST PLACE IN READERS' HEARTS.

Byline: Jerry Rice  Staff Writer

Disneyland was built on a dream. And it was Walt Disney's dream that has made millions of wishes come true during the past 50 years.

Hundreds of millions of wishes, really. And also special moments - first dates and honeymoons, birthdays and anniversaries, and fun days spent with kids and later with grandkids.

Several weeks ago, we asked readers to recall their favorite Disneyland memories. On the next pages are some of those experiences. Others can be found online at www.dailynews.com.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Disneyland's opening day was a well-publicized disaster. The theme park was crowded, the weather was hot, there were no drinking fountains, and many of the rides broke down.

But for Sharon Thompson of Azusa, memories of that day are good ones.

``It was so fantastic; everyone was so excited,'' writes Thompson, who was 12 at the time. ``It was such a new and different experience.''

It didn't matter to her - and many of the others who were there that day - that large sections of the 60-acre park were incomplete. (Disneyland has since expanded to 85 acres.)

``There was a blimp giving rides,'' Thompson adds. ``They gave out numbers to the people, and put up large circus tents to entertain the waiting crowds with, mostly, bands and singers.''

Joanne Singer of Redlands was a Camp Fire Girl in 1955 and she earned a trip to Disneyland during its opening week by selling enough boxes of chocolate-covered mints. Her impression of the Jungle Cruise was that the ride seemed authentic.

``The animals were great, but the trees and shrubs were so new and small you could see the surrounding areas in Adventureland,'' she writes.

Carleen Booth Armstrong of Long Beach celebrated her 15th birthday at Disneyland a few weeks after the park opened. At first she was disappointed because she didn't see any rides as she strolled down Main Street, U.S.A.

``And then I saw it - Sleeping Beauty Castle. I ran through the archway and was greeted by a swirl of activity. People were lined up to ride the beautifully painted horses on the King Arthur Carousel and the Mad Tea Party ride with its colorfully painted teacups spinning around.''

Besides being Disneyland's first day, July 17, 1955, was the start of something special for Ann Fusano of Hacienda Heights. She married her husband, Lou, that day, and the newlyweds made their first visit to the park two months later. Their favorite attractions included the Jungle Cruise and all of Frontierland.

``He would say we had a Mickey Mouse marriage, which lasted until his passing in 2001,'' Fusano writes. ``This July, my family and I will return for the festivities celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Magic Kingdom and a Mickey Mouse marriage.''

BRUSH WITH GREATNESS 

After Disneyland opened, Walt Disney was often at the park. He even had an apartment that overlooked Main Street. It was a perch from which he would watch guests as they experienced the boulevard of dreams that helped make his creation the Happiest Place on Earth.

But simply observing was not enough. Disney spent a lot of time working at different attractions so he could interact with park guests.

Doris Brown Ware of Rialto remembers one such encounter during a family visit.

``As we approached the Mark Twain Riverboat ride, a one-horse, black, fringed-top carriage arrived. Out stepped Walt Disney. He was the 'pilot' for our first ride on that attraction. We were thrilled at the time, but the experience has taken on an even greater luster as we recall our Disneyland memories.''

Bernadette Moseijchuk of Camarillo, who was 10 when she visited in 1956, learned Disney apparently didn't mind getting his hands dirty when he needed to.

``We had just walked onto Main Street and there he was - Mr. Walt Disney himself, in a suit and tie, under the hood, tinkering with the engine of a Main Street car. When he was done, we met and there we stood with his arm around my shoulder so my mom could take our picture - me and Mr. Walt Disney!''

On a summer day in 1962, John ``Jack'' Barnes of Pasadena went to Adventureland with his parents to check out the newly opened Swiss Family Treehouse.

``My folks moved in closer to see a man and his friends making their way down the stairs from the treehouse. My dad had placed me on his shoulders so I got the best view. A smile and a wave - and a 'Hello, kiddo!' from Walt Disney - were all I needed to hear. There never was a day at Disneyland as exciting as the day I met Walt Disney.''

Also in 1962, Ken Fowler of Yucaipa recalls visiting with his wife, Louise, and their 3-year-old daughter, Lisa.

``We needed a stroller for her day at the park. I didn't notice right away the gentleman in the suit and tie who was unfolding the strollers and placing our little girl within. When I realized it was Mr. Disney himself, I was so stunned that I neglected to acknowledge him. But my wife caught it and thanked him. He just smiled and said, 'You're welcome.' ''

Walt Disney certainly wasn't the only famous face at Disneyland. Gary Jacobson of Eagle Rock had a close encounter with a different personality, when he was in line for the Rocket to the Moon with his father and stepmother.

``We were told there would be a delay as some 'special visitors' were on the ride. A short time later, Vice President Richard Nixon and his family exited and stood directly in front of me. I excitedly handed him my Disneyland newspaper, which he autographed.''

IT'S OFF TO WORK WE GO

For many Disneyland fans, a great part of the experience was getting paid to be there. That's the way it worked for Richard August Padilla of Santa Clarita. In June 1961, he started as a ride operator at the Magic Kingdom.

``In those days, college kids from all over the country were encouraged to apply for summer work in the park. We all attended Disneyland University, a crash course in guest relations. The joke was they sprinkled pixie dust on us for graduation. It (must have) worked, as the atmosphere was electric backstage as well as in the park.''

Highlights of Padilla's Disneyland career include taking Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton for a ride on the old Submarine Voyage and escorting Katharine Hepburn up to the Captain's Cabin on the Mark Twain Riverboat.

After moving from Alabama to California in the late 1950s, Karen Contreras of Yucaipa also wanted to see Disneyland as more than a guest.

``I was always excited when Southern relatives came to visit because that meant we were going to Disneyland. Once we arrived there and entered through that turnstile, I knew I was on hallowed ground. I wished I could just live there.''

Contreras never moved in, but instead she got a job at the Blue Bayou Restaurant in New Orleans Square.

THE RIDE STUFF

Rides are an important part of any Disneyland visit. There are now more than 60 rides and attractions at the park - It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Matterhorn among them.

There were about half that many during the first year. Still, that meant a lot of difficult decisions for lots of kids, including Cathy Altuvilla of Valencia, who was 10 years old when she visited in 1955.

``My mom and dad told us we could go on one ride in each land. In Tomorrowland, I picked the Autopia cars; Frontierland, the Mule Pack; and in Adventureland, the Jungle Cruise. But the hardest decision was in Fantasyland - Snow White's Adventures, Peter Pan Flight or the Casey Jr. Circus Train. My brother chose the Casey Jr. train and my sister and I chose Snow White. It was the most unforgettable day in my childhood.''

The Dumbo ride was the favorite of Penny Eddy of La Habra. ``When I learned that my parents were taking me and my cousin to Disneyland for the first time, I couldn't sleep or eat,'' she writes, noting that the excitement of the moment was captured in a family photo snapped as the two girls went by on the flying elephant's back.

When Eddy Montez of Azusa visited as a 10-year-old, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was his favorite.

``I went on it five times, but I paid the price - I also had to go on It's a Small World five times with my cousin, Nena, who was 5 at the time. But that ride will always bond my cousin and me in a special way, and I think that's what Mr. Disney's dream was all about.''

When it comes to riding an attraction again and again, Montez and his cousin have nothing on Burton Harris of Granada Hills. As a 12-year-old in 1955, he rode the Autopia cars 21 times in a row.

``My first trip to Disneyland was awesome. There were so many wonderful things to experience for a little guy.''

Louise Moten, 78, of Pacoima still enjoys It's a Small World - just like she did in the 1960s when she made annual treks to Disneyland with her family of seven.

``We bought seven books of tickets. I remember how afraid we were that (the kids) would lose them. Money was scarce. I think we spent about $150. That seemed like a fortune at the time, but just the smiles and joy on their faces was all worth it.''

PRIZED ADVENTURES

Decades before athletes on championship teams started saying, ``I'm going to Disneyland!'' regular folks were winning trips to the Magic Kingdom.

Mildred Whitworth and her husband, Walter, visited a home show in Dayton, Ohio, in 1956 and entered a drawing. They won a trip to Anaheim and $200 in spending money. They traveled with their daughter - leaving behind a March blizzard for sunny Southern California.

``We arrived at Disneyland at dusk and were astonished at the beauty of blooming orange trees and many gardeners working in the flower beds under huge floodlights. Our motel room was perfect, and on each pillow was a sprig of orange blossoms. Words fail me in trying to express our feelings at that point in time.''

Perhaps the words aren't there, but the family's actions spoke to how much they enjoyed their vacation.

``That trip in 1956 convinced us to set our sights on moving to California. We did that in 1962,'' writes Whitworth, 87, who now lives in Chino Hills.

In 1955, the old Pomona Progress-Bulletin newspaper had a weekly contest and one of the prizes was a family outing to Disneyland. Henry Rollins entered every week, writes his daughter, Nancy Rollins Pavlich, who now lives in Livingston, Texas. After he won, his wife, Kathleen, took the kids - Nancy, 11 at the time, Don, 10, and Patty, 5 - to a department store in downtown Pomona to buy special outfits.

``My sister and I wore matching red corduroy pants and red-striped T-shirts, and Don had a special red shirt. I will never forget the excitement of that trip. My favorite ride was the Jungle Cruise. We ate tacos in Frontierland and had ice cream on Main Street.''

FAMILY TRADITIONS

Like a precious family heirloom, Disneyland is often passed from one generation to the next - from parents to kids, who then pass the experience to their kids. Teri Wilkinson of Whittier finds herself in the middle of that dynamic.

Wilkinson visited the park in 1958, when she was 3, with her mother. She has the picture to prove it. Thirty-one years later, she returned to the same spot at Disneyland and had another photo taken.

``That time, I was the mom and my daughter, Stacy, was 4,'' Wilkinson writes. ``Stacy is now a sophomore at UC Irvine.''

Wilkinson returned to Disneyland in March to celebrate her 50th birthday. ``I bought the special anniversary edition Mickey Mouse golden ears and, of course, had my name stitched on it,'' she continues. ``What do I miss most from the early years? Two things. The Flying Saucers were great when they worked. Also, (a grape juice) stand that was in Fantasyland. That juice was so good, especially after running around.''

Sherlyn Severson of West Covina also has a family tradition story.

In the 1964 Disney movie ``Mary Poppins,'' Julie Andrews as the practically perfect nanny would sing to her young charges, ``A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.'' Well, the Magic Kingdom worked the same magic with her.

``As a child, when I swallowed bad-tasting medicine or was in an unpleasant situation, my grandmother would say, 'Think of Disneyland.' Now, as old as I am, when I have a painful procedure done or even surgery, I still think of Disneyland. I (also) tell my grandchildren, as they swallow their bad-tasting medicine, 'Think of Disneyland,' and they do, as I still do, and it helps.''

It's easy for Isabel Gutierrez of Walnut to remember the date of her first Disneyland visit. It was Sept. 18, 1955 - the day after her wedding. She has made a number of visits with a growing family since then.

``It was our honeymoon trip, and (after that) we would come to the park every September. When the children came we took them, and now we take the grandkids to the park. They have such a good time!''

Shelley Silver of San Bernardino first visited the park as a 10-year-old in 1956.

``I was thrilled and amazed by the magical place ... my favorite attraction was the Peter Pan ride. My mother and I entered our personal pirate ship and we were whisked away to an ebony velvet sky filled with what seemed to be millions of twinkling stars ...

``Now that I am a grandma of 7-year-old Ryan, we both enjoy the soaring pirate ships of the Peter Pan ride.

``Looking back,'' she continues, ``I especially treasure memories of that first Disneyland experience. Shortly thereafter, my lovely mother was diagnosed with Hodgkins disease. She passed away five years later. To this day, when I remember that first golden Disneyland visit, my mind and heart fill with the joyful day my mother and I spent at the 'Happiest Place on Earth!' ''

DISNEYLAND

What: The theme park's 50th-anniversary celebration.

When: Begins Thursday and continues through fall 2006.

Cost: $53 for adults, $43 ages 3 to 9.

Information: [phone], www.disneyland.com.

START THE PARTY

Disneyland turns the Big 5-0 on July 17, but the Happiest Place on Earth isn't about to wait that long to start celebrating.

The park will be closed to the public on Wednesday, and will reopen at 9 a.m. Thursday with the start of an 18-month anniversary party that includes new shows, parades and a fireworks spectacular. Highlights

include:

--``Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams,'' a seven-float procession of iconic Disney characters.

--``Disneyland - The First 50 Years,'' an exhibit of theme park artifacts and a movie that will temporarily replace ``Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.''

--``Remember - Dreams Come True,'' a nightly 17-minute fireworks show.

--``Block Party Bash,'' a high-energy musical parade at Disney's California Adventure.

On the ride front, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - which is part ride, part video game - is the latest addition to the Tomorrowland galaxy. And Space Mountain is scheduled to be relaunched July 15 after a two-year makeover, returning with a new generation of special effects that weren't available when the attraction debuted in 1977.

- J.R.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) DISNEY MEMORIES

Our readers share their stories of the Magic Kingdom's early years

(2) no caption (white mountain)

(3) no caption (old admission ticket)

(4) Penny (Keller) Eddy, left, and her cousin, Donna (Higby) Galli on the Dumbo ride, summer 1956.

(5) Walt Disney fishes with young guests on a Tom Sawyer Island raft.

(6) Vice president Richard Nixon visited Disneyland in 1959.

(7) Patricia Royer of Simi Valley, with children Sandra and Scott in 1965. In 1955, the newlywed Patricia and husband Leonard visited Disneyland.

Box:

START THE PARTY (see text)