Dee Kolafa was there to celebrate a big moment in Disneyland’s timeline, it’s opening day in 1955.
And on Wednesday, March 29, Disneyland was part of the celebration of a big milestone for Kolafa, her 100th birthday.
Although Wednesday started off with gloomy weather, that didn’t bring down Kolafa’s gung-ho attitude as she visited the park with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
The family dipped in to see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln to get out of the downpour before getting a personal tour of Walt Disney’s apartment on Main Street.
“It’s gorgeous,” Kolafa beamed. “I love the nostalgic pictures, and that the things that really meant something to him are up there.”
While enjoying the cool air and refreshments on the apartment’s private porch, Kolafa and her family got a surprise visit from Ken Potrock, president of the Disneyland Resort, accompanied by none other than Mickey Mouse himself.
“I’m older than you, Mickey,” Kolafa shouted as they joined the family outside.
Kolafa, who grew up in Anaheim, has visited Disneyland numerous times and said it’s impossible to pick a favorite moment. Even her move to Sacramento later in life hasn’t kept her from frequenting the theme park, even if just briefly.
“I had to come down here and Claire, my middle daughter, and I had to drive home because I was working nights at the post office up there,” Kolafa recalled of one quick trip. “And we just said, ‘Let’s stop at Disneyland on the way!’ So, I still had to drive 400 miles, but we stopped.”
Daughter Lynne Sawyer said Kolafa always got her grandchildren their first pair of Mickey ears.
Her son, Donald, worked for Disneyland all through his college years and today, her granddaughter, Anna Sawyer, is an American Sign Language interpreter contracted by Disneyland, where she interprets shows and rides, including the Jungle Cruise her Uncle Donald once skippered.
“I thought of another one of her favorite…
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