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It¹s not Å’glowing¹ away quite yet…

By Daily Bruin Staff

Oct. 14, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, October 15, 1996

ENTERTAINMENT:

Public demand delays closing of Disneyland’s Main Street
Electrical ParadeBy Karen Duryea

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

For months, the public has been urged to see it before it "glows
away."

Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade was initially
scheduled to give its last performance tonight, joining the ranks
of classic but now obsolete Disneyland attractions.

But Disneyland officials have considered the overwhelming demand
the public has made on the parade since the park announced its
intent to close it down back in March 1996 and extended the
parade’s nightly appearance until Nov. 25. The demand to see the
parade caused the park to extend their hours during the weekday and
increase performances to two shows nightly, hoping that this will
give everyone a chance to see the show.

Crowds at the park were so large Oct. 5 they were forced to stop
selling tickets mid-afternoon ­ only the second time in
Disneyland’s history.

This will be the last extension of the parade, said Paul
Pressler, president of the Disneyland Resort, because the floats
need to be disassembled in time for the holidays.

"Our program to benefit 18 local children’s charities through
the sale of actual Main Street Electrical Parade light bulbs
continues, and many guests have placed orders with the intention of
giving the commemorative bulbs as holiday gifts," Pressler
explained. "The bulb packaging will begin on Nov. 26 to meet our
Christmas mailing commitments." The bulbs sell for $10 each and
come mounted in a special display box.

The parade will end this year to make way for a brand new show,
called "Light Magic," due to premiere in spring 1997. The new show
will feature magical special effects and theatrical elements to
join other theme park experiences such as the Fantasmic! show and
the Lion King Celebration.

According to Mike Davis, Disneyland vice president of
entertainment, the success of the Electrical Parade has given them
the resources to replace the parade with Light Magic, which will
take Disneyland into the 21st century.

But why take away what the public already loves? Everyone
remembers the "New Coke" disaster.

"There’s new technology we would like to introduce to the
public," Aguirre said, noting that Disneyland has added several new
attractions over the years to attract visitors to the 41-year-old
park. "It’s just in keeping with Walt Disney’s philosophy. … To
keep the park new and appealing, we have to retire one thing to
make room for another."

The Main Street Electrical parade made its first debut in the
summer of 1972, featuring a half-million lights spread over a dozen
floats and 100 live performers.

With only a few breaks over the years ­ once from 1975 to
1976 and again from 1983 to 1985 ­ the parade continued to
expand with new floats and more lights.

Some of the original floats have since retired, such as the
"It’s a Small World" float. Newer floats are more three-dimensional
and contain smaller and more lights.

The parade also features recognizable characters such as Goofy,
Mickey and Minnie Mouse in a procession that lasts for 30 minutes
over a quarter mile of the park.

And no one can forget that snappy tune that continues throughout
the parade. "Baroque Hoedown" is the name of the original song
recorded in 1967 by Gershon Kingsley and Jean Jacques Perrey. The
song heard during the parade was adapted by superimposing Disney
themes over the original piece. The musical soundtrack from the
parade is one of the more popular recordings sold at
Disneyland.

The Walt Disney Company

The Main Street Electrical Parade will move to through the Magic
Kingdom for the last time in November 1996.The Walt Disney
Company

A 23-foot dragon named "Elliott" from Disney’s animated feature
"Pete’s Dragon" entertains audiences by magically disappearing,
then reappearing, throughout The Main Street Electrical Parade.

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