More Country Bears

Some of the other performers from the classic Country Bear Jamboree. I love the humorous signs posted on stage in the first image. The staging really does capture the Marc Davis drawings.

Souvenir Friday- 1955 Disneyland Lessee Employee ID Card

A find from many years ago is the ID card for an employee of Sunny Fresh Farms. Sunny Fresh Farms store was located on Main Street and offered fresh fruit. A guest could even order boxes of fresh fruit from the catalog. This card is for an employee who was there on opening day, although the card is dated 7/22/55. I believe in the rush to get everything done, the ID card process stopped and was only picked back up when the rush was over. I do have her snapshots from opening day and will be posting them up shortly.

A Bevy of Country Bear Cuties

My favorite group of bears from the Country Bear Jamboree are Bunny, Bubbles and Beulah. The photographer was in the front row and snapped some fantastic images of the performers on stage.

Swiss Family Tree House

Although not the best quality of images, the pictures show scenes that are not well documented. I use to love to walk up the stairs of the Treehouse and gaze at all the items on display and marvel at the ingenious ways the family used items to solve their problems. Later, after watching the film in the theater, I recognized many of the same type of inventions. Although the two houses are different (film vs. theme park) there was enough there to keep my interest. I do miss the treehouse and the way you could put yourself into the scenes and believe you were shipwrecked on an island.

Negatives From Disneyland Part Two

More scans of the negatives from Disneyland. The first is a nice view of the Skyway load station in Tomorrowland. Check out all the attraction posters on the wall.

The next is a shot of the cute kid in front of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. For those who love signs (and who does not?), I have placed a close up of the Kodak picture spot sign.

A shot of the exit area from the Fantasyland Skyway. I really like the black embroidered western shirt on the cowboy.

Final image from this set of negatives is of old unfaithful spouting off a jet of steam in Nature's Wonderland. I believe this was taken from the Disneyland and Santa Fe Railroad as you can see the Mine Train track in the photograph.

Negatives From Disneyland

No, not that kind of negative, rather film negative from a long ago trip to the Park. The images are nice, but the unfortunate fact is that the photographer was not all that good on the technical end. The focus is not very sharp and the positive prints were not printed very well. Luckily the negatives were with the photographs, and they scanned fairly well. Still a bit out of focus. The first image is of Town Square with the Emporium in the background.

The next image is of the Red Wagon Inn. For those who have been reading this blog for a while, you all know how much I like the Red Wagon Inn.

This final cracks me up, the little boy in his winter clothes wearing his cub scout cap and pointing the way around Tomorrowland.

I also want to say thank you to all the veterans who have served the United States. Have a safe Memorial Day everyone!

Land Of Oz Continued

More postcards from the Land Of Oz theme park. I think this is a different Dorothy from the first postcards, but still very pretty. The captions from the back of the postcards precede each image.

How do you approach a witch's castle? Very carefully. Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow keep a wary watch- every witch way- as they near the Wicked Witch's bailiwick. As for that Cowardly Lion, he cowered- at the Land of Oz, Beech Mountain at Banner Elk, N.C.

Look out- It's the Wicked Witch of the West and she's got a wretched recipe for Evil Stew. The problem is that she can never quite get it right and people laugh at her- at the Land of Oz atop Beech Mountain at Banner Elk, N.C.

It's Magic Moment time in Emerald City- time for Dorothy to vanish in a puff of smoke- and even the dancing mushrooms are happy that she's about to get her heart's desire. It's the Land of Oz, Beech Mountain, Banner Elk, N.C.

The breath-taking panorama of Elk Valley is Dorothy's back yard at the Judy Garland Memorial Overlook. The sculpture of Dorothy with her little dog Toto sets the mood for the fun and fantasy that await visitors to the Land of Oz, Beech Mountain, Banner Elk, N.C.

The Tin Man just rattles around his house, creaking with rust and croaking out his plight to anyone who'll listen. But he plans to get up oily in the morning and go see the Wizard. It's the Land of Oz, Beech Mountain, Banner Elk, N.C.

"POOF" goes the Witches Brew at: LAND OF OZ- Beech Mountain- Banner Elk, North Carolina.

The Land of Oz Banner Elk North Carolina

The Land of Oz was a theme park based upon the L. Frank Baum book series as well as the fantastic 1939 MGM musical. The park was open and operational during the early 1970s. The postcards shown below are all copyright 1971. When the park closed in 1980, there was no demolition of the existing structures. However, there was much vandalism and destruction. Check out this website for more information on the history of the park.

Ten years after closing a developer purchased the land and a resort was built on the site. Luckily, some of the structures were saved, the fountains restored, waterfalls rebuilt and the yellow brick road unearthed. For several years, an Oz festival is held on the site with local actors playing the characters and dealers selling Oz related merchandise. The festival and park is open the first weekend in October. The houses are still existing, but the rides are no longer functioning. You can also rent out the park for birthdays, weddings, graduation and other special events.

The caption on this postcard reads: Dorothy knows a movie was made about her once, and she's happy that she has the dress Judy Garland wore in the film. It's in a museum along with other items from the movie- at the Land of Oz, Beech Mountain, Banner Elk, N.C.

Imagine riding into one of your dreams in a colorful balloon at the Land of Oz atop Beech Mountain. Just over the rainbow all the friendly munchkins, the cowardly lion, tin man, scarecrow and Dorothy are waiting to capture your hearts.

Is the balloon really safe? Of course! Why would Dorothy and the Lion and the Tin Man all get into it together? Especially just after the Tin Man got his brain. It's the Land of Oz, Beech Mountain, Banner Elk, N.C.

An enclosed gondola lift- one of three of its kind in the United States- takes you over the rainbow to the Land of Oz at Beech Mountain, Banner Elk, N.C. (as for the Cowardly Lion, he rides the surrey bus.)

Souvenir Friday- Sleeping Beauty Castle Matchbox

One of my favorite items of merchandise is this Miniature View of the Sleeping Beauty Castle in a fake matchbox. The front graphics featuring the Mark Twain and Columbia echo the matchboxes of the early 1900s. The scene on the inside is hand painted and charming. Based upon the Columbia, I believe this dates from 1958.

People

One of the joys of looking at vintage Disneyland photographs is the people. You can tell it was a different time and Disneyland was a special event. The guests dressed up for the most part and there was a certain sense of style. Not always the best style, but a certain sense of style.

Disneyland also allowed grown ups to indulge themselves, where else would you purchase a sun hat like these? And ride a full size stern wheel river boat?

Future

Two views of a future as seen at Disneyland. The first is of the Monsanto House of the Future in all it's glory.

The second is more of what the true future turned into. That is, industrial buildings with large HVAC units.

The TWA Rocket To the Moon

Two views from the same stereo photographer. The first taken from the Skyway Vantage point.

The second is from the ground with the Flight Circle to the left. Unfortunately that is all I can see of the merchandise stand with the great toys.

Skyway over Tomorrowland

Two nice views of the Skyway over Tomorrowland. These are from stereo views, let me know if you want me to post them in stereo.

Two Landmarks

Two nice views of landmarks of Disneyland. One still exists, the other was destroyed by the wrecking ball in 1982. First up is a nice view of the Golden Horseshoe review with a crowd of folks waiting to see the rootinest, tootinest little show in the west.

The second image is of the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship. This is a view I have not seen before, prior to the addition of skull rock.

More Knott's Berry Farm Including Monkey

More images from the family riding the burros, this time showing more Ghost Town. The first is the loading area for the burros. I like the sign for the information map on the right hand side.

The next two show pictures of the organ grinder and monkey. I love the organ grinder's shirt.

Last shot for today shows the crowd forming before a gun fight. My favorite guy is the cool cat in his pumpkin shirt and sunglasses.

Souvenir Friday- Fashion Show at the 1972 and 1973 Grad Nite

My brother found these two photographs from the same guy. The guy was lucky enough to go to two consecutive Grad Nites, with two different girlfriends. He was also quite the fashion maven, in 1972 wearing a nice corduroy belted jacket and in 1973 wearing a formal flour sack that was given out by the US AID organization to developing countries.

If any of you readers out there have an old jacket like the second one (or even the first one), contact me as I would love to own one of them!