Electric Nostalgia

I’ll have to admit that I started out 2007 as one of those people who enjoys the entertainment that Disney puts out, but looked with a bit of scorn upon folks who were completely enamored with the whole Disney thing. Eight months later, I hadn’t quite gone to that extreme, but I now have a fondness for Disney that belongs only to people who have worked there. My work experience began that first day that I was introduced to the costuming department and thrust into the organized chaos that is the Disney Dreams Come True Parade (or Day Parade, as those of us working it call it). I soon found myself working 10 hour shifts from 4:30 at night to 3 in the morning, six days a week, for almost 6 months straight on SpectroMagic, the night parade at Magic Kingdom. Of course, I have more stories than I even care to remember from those long, humid nights. One of the things that stand out most vividly in my mind is the time I was almost run over by one of the floats carrying the ostriches from “Fantasia”. Near death experiences aside, I get overwhelmingly nostalgic when I see pictures from the parades I worked. It was, without a doubt, the best eight months of my life and even though I worked with character performers who thought they were God’s gift to entertainment and was always sticky with sweat, I’m glad I did it. There are things that I’ve done that few other people can claim; I’ve carried Cinderella’s dress and helped Minnie put on her shoes. Though I’ve undoubtedly set up a rather utopian idea of the whole experience, it will forever stand out as one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I made more friends and had more fun in Orlando than I feel I’ll ever have again.