The Happiest Anniversary on Earth!

Walt and Lillian Disney celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversary on this day in 1955. The grand opening of DISNEYLAND was just 4 days away and Mr. Disney wanted to share his future Magic Kingdom with friends and family. Upon arriving at the front gate, his guests were given a ride down Main Street to Frontierland, where they were the first ever riders on the Mark Twain Riverboat. After a leisurely ride down the river, Walt's guests were ushered into the Golden Horseshoe, where Wally Boag entertained one and all.

 

Some guests thought Mr. Disney was drunk, since they had never seen him act so giddy before, but his daughter Diane knew that her father wasn't drunk. She knew he was just overjoyed that his biggest dream was going to be a reality in just a few short days and he was proud to finally share it all with his friends and family.

 

While Mr. Disney couldn't be 100% certain that the public would accept his latest venture, for one night he could forget about the loans, construction timetables and stress. For one night he would be the king of all he surveyed- his beloved DISNEYLAND. Of course, the world would fall in love with the place; a place that existed, as Art Linkletter once pointed out, because Walt wanted it to.