A Special July 4th Edition of Disney Notes – a look at the music and sounds of Disney.
Not too many years ago, my wife and I decided to do something that we had always labeled as “stupid.” It was July 4th and we decided to find ourselves a great seat on the porch at the Magic Kingdom’s railroad station (Walt Disney World). It was only about 2:00 in the afternoon and we intended to keep our seats all the way through the patriotic fireworks display at 10:00 pm. We purchased a deck of Mickey Mouse playing cards at the nearby souvenir store, and we made plans to take turns running for food and drinks. No matter what, we were going to have the best seats possible for the evening’s events, in spite of what common sense would tell us.
Our decision was a good one to say the least. We witnessed a fabulous fireworks presentation from a great vantage point. We also met some great people from the UK with whom we had some very interesting discussions. However, the biggest benefit of our long stay on the porch was something quite unexpected.
A couple of times during the afternoon we were treated to a fantastic concert by the “Main Street Philharmonic” brass marching band. Oh – we had heard them many times before, but it was always in passing on Main Street or while we were heading in a different direction and focused on other things. Our advantage at this point was that we were going nowhere! As a result, we had front row seats for some of the best music we had ever heard. Trumpet players made ultra-high notes sound like child’s play. Percussionists made simple marching drums sound like 15-piece drum kits. Most important, though, was the balance and musicianship so very evident in everything they played.
One special performance was an additional bonus to our afternoon. While we were aware of the 5:00 pm flag-lowering ceremony, we were not completely aware of what it involved. The ceremony was truly inspirational with the great music of the band along with the beautiful harmonies of the Dapper Dans. A veteran was chosen from the audience to not only help with the lowering of the flag, but to receive it as a gift from the park.
Of course, all of this was being witnessed from the front row of the train station’s porch – directly in front of and over the top of the band as they played. What an experience! Those eight hours felt more like just one hour and we were already making plans to do the same thing the following year!
Magic Kingdom Flag Retreat video from DisneyTampa on YouTube:
Main Street Philharmonic by NixLadyJame on YouTube:
And the delightful Trolley Show as posted by our friends at Attractions Magazine on YouTube:
Do you have a special patriotic memory from the parks?