By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
So wrote Joni Mitchell and so sang Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young about the infamous counterculture event in 1969. Joni wasn’t even at Woodstock. (Her manager thought it more beneficial to her career to stay home and appear on The Dick Cavett Show.) Her then boyfriend, Graham Nash, described the scene to her over the phone and she wrote the song based on his description. Nash has been quoted in interviews as saying that they all knew the counterculture movement was strong and included many different people from all walks, but truly didn’t realize the breadth and size of the scene until they all descended upon upstate New York. Here were all these like-minded people, and they all “got it.”
I had a moment very similar to that last month in Orlando. I peered through a slightly open door of the Convention Center at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. It was 9:45 a.m. The doors were scheduled to open to the Mega Mouse Meet, the centerpiece event of MouseFest 2008, in 15 minutes. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Hundreds of people lined up as far as I could see. Not for a ride, nor for an attraction. Not in a queue to meet Mickey Mouse or take a picture with a princess. They were all here to see us. Us, of course, being the various Web site writers, Web masters and authors of the Disney Internet community. We weren’t quite half a million strong, but I was amazed at how large we really were.
This was my first MouseFest. I’ve been proudly writing for MousePlanet for nine months now, wrote for Jim Hill Media for almost two years, and have been a reader of all the sites for some time before that. So, I feel I’ve been around the Disney Internet community for a while now. Sitting behind the safety of the keyboard is a whole different thing then meeting everyone face to face and in person. How would this event be? What would the people be like? I’m going down there alone, will that be weird? Lots of questions were filling my head before my flight from New York.
My first MouseFest day started at Animal Kingdom where after many years of reading, I began to meet some of the writers at the AllEarsNet meet in Harambe. There were the Debs, and Mike Scopa, and hey isn’t that Lou Mongello of Walt Disney World Trivia fame? I had no lanyard and no credentials yet, so I must’ve looked like some confused person who had just wandered into the wrong party. I soon began to introduce myself around and received the warmest reception from everyone. It was a good start.
That first day was quite a whirlwind. There were many meets to attend, many people to talk to, podcasts to be interviewed on. As I wandered around Animal Kingdom, I began to spot many other MouseFesters wearing their yellow lanyards and smiling happily. I struck up a conversation in the Everest queue with another couple of first timers. Their smiles and exuberance were contagious. I knew I was in for a good time this weekend. I think the unusually cold weather helped us all bond a little more as well.
The Osborne Family angels. An added bonus to MouseFest being scheduled in December. Photo By Chris Barry.
I put a new notch in my Walt Disney World belt on that day. I managed to hit all four parks in a single day, experiencing many MouseFest events and still hitting as many of my favorite attractions along the way. As I said before, I began the day in Animal Kingdom, rode Everest and Dinosaur; saw Nemo with Those Darn Cats; made my way to the Studios after lunch and the Be Our Guest Podcast at Flame Tree Barbecue; rode The Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Star Tours; left the Studios after enjoying the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights for the first time; walked to Epcot; toured through World Showcase; hit Maelstrom; hopped on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party; watched the fireworks and the parade; rode Big Thunder, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan and Mickey's Philharmagic
Cinderella Castle in all her holiday splendor. Once again, a perk of MouseFest being held in December. Photo By Chris Barry.
The next day was the Mega Mouse Meet at the Yacht & Beach Club. I arrived early enough to make the rounds and meet as many of my colleagues as possible. What can I say about this crowd? Everyone was happy. Everyone was friendly. Everyone was here because of a passion for Disney and it was great to be in a giant room filled with so many like-minded individuals. The next three hours were spent greeting the people who really make this community what it is, the readers. You were all the most warm, friendly and interesting group of people I may have ever met. Your kind comments about MouseFest, MousePlanet, my writing, and all things Disney were heartfelt and made all the effort worthwhile. It was an overwhelming event. I felt like we were half a million strong. There were too many of you to count and you were all wonderful.
The crowd at the Mega Mouse Meet. Photo By Chris Barry.
The rest of the day was spent in one of my favorite places, World Showcase. I shopped in Germany and Italy, ate delicious treats with new friends at MousssseFest in France, and had a fascinating dinner with the MousePlanet staff at Marakesh. In my circle of friends, I’m the Disney nut, the one to ask all of your Disney-related questions. Sitting with my fellow MousePlaneteers—Mark Goldhaber, Mike Demopoulos, Jeff Kober and David Koenig—I was truly humbled. The Disney knowledge was flowing at that table and it was hard to keep up. The great thing about having Disney as a “hobby” is that there’s always something else to learn. Just when you think your file cabinet is full, a walking encyclopedia like Dave Koenig crams some more facts in there. Thanks for a great night, you guys.
The night ended, as every day should, surrounded by a group of good friends watching IllumiNations. The holiday version gets me even more than the usual version, and sharing it with the group at Lou Mongello’s IllumiNations Meet was extra special. We stayed at the Torii Gate for quite a while after IllumiNations ended, and then finally meandered our way toward the International Gateway. The majority of the crowd was heading to Jellyrolls over on the Boardwalk. I had to check out early in the morning so I opted to head back to my room and pack. From what I heard, I missed quite a hoot at Jellyrolls.
Sunday was my last day at MouseFest. Work and family obligations would bring me home that night, but not before I put in a full day at the Magic Kingdom. MousePlanet hosted a miniature version of our signature Disneyland event, MouseAdventure. Adventureland was the site for about 75 MouseFesters to wrack their brain and Disney know-how to solve all the quests before them. I was stationed in Liberty Square to assist anyone who might be in need of some help. Liberty Square is probably the area I spend the least amount of time in when I’m at the Magic Kingdom, so it was great to spend almost two hours soaking in all the details of this richly themed area. The Mini MouseAdventure was a huge success, both in the number of people that attended and the responses from them. A full-blown MouseAdventure is in the works for Florida in the fall of 2009. The consensus from the crowd that day was that they couldn’t wait for the real deal.
The brave Mini MouseAdventurers of MouseFest 2008. Photo By Mark Goldhaber.
After lunch we headed to Lou Mongello’s TriviaFest. Close to 100 of us gathered at The Tomorrowland Terrace to try and match wits with Lou and maybe win some prizes. Watching the crowd drop like flies as he pulled question after question from his vault was a blast. Watching a 10-year boy win was even better. Now there’s a boy with a book or his own Web site in his future.
I said my goodbyes to Mark and Lou and others and headed off to catch a final ride on Space Mountain before heading off to the airport. The great part of being by yourself is having so much time to be with your thoughts. I missed my family tremendously. Sharing Walt Disney World with them is one of the joys of my life and being there without then was strange. But, being able to soak in all that an event like MouseFest has to offer was important for me to experience as a writer, as a Disney fan and most importantly as a member of this vast Internet community.
I’ve been a part of many different communities in my life. I’ve been a Deadhead for 25 years and have seen The Grateful Dead and their various members hundreds of times. I’ve been surfing since college and skiing since I was 4. These are all distinct activities with very different, strong communities. Whether it was seeing The Dead in one of their particularly lively grooves or finally leaving the ocean waterlogged at sunset, or popping through the trees on a powder day in Vermont, or grinning at a total stranger after we both just watched Tinker Bell fly out of that castle, I’ve been fortunate to have that moment of clarity several times in my life with many different people.
That moment is a simple glance and nod of recognition between you and someone else in your particular community. That moment between you and a like-minded individual you might not even know speaks volumes. It defines who you are as a person and where you feel at home. I had that moment tenfold at MouseFest. Most of us didn’t know each other at all, but if you spotted someone else wearing that yellow lanyard, loaded with Web site pins, smiling goofily, drunk on Disney magic, you just nodded at each other and in that brief moment you bonded and you realized: “Yeah, there are others like me out there, and they get it, too.”
Looking forward to seeing all of you again at the next MouseFest in 2009.
