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Missouri, Land of MagicBy Roz Plotzker
I waited inside the small building and kicked the gravel
floor
Enchanted, no? From here, you might expect a kiss, a confession of undying love, a marriage proposal even. But my date – or, rather, dates – were 3 other travel writers and our gracious host Kaye Malins, coordinator for Marceline Missouri’s Toonfest. So what’s the connection between a Missouri farm, a child’s playhouse, and a cartoon festival? Here’s a hint: It really is a small world, after all.
Between 1906 and 1911 Walt Disney lived on the farm with the lake, the dreaming tree, and his small barn, where he put on his first shows for the communities children. It was a town of 2,500 people that had developed in response to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. Five years is not very significant in adult time. It is about as long as college education, or a president’s term in office. But for a child, the years from 5 to 10 years old are forever, and leave a permanent mark. For Walt, Marceline was his prototype of an ideal world for children, and it permeated the universe he created for his young audience decades after he left. He would return periodically during his career, seeking for personal renewal, or to research the town for a film. Pay attention, and you will see trains, farms, and small towns springing up in his earliest works. Likewise, Disney’s short stay had a long-term impact on Marceline. Toonfest celebrates the legacy of Disney every year. The weekend festival includes two cartoon symposiums, one for local high schools and another for the general public.
This upcoming festival has drawn a handful of cartoonists to Missouri (Get it? Drawn?-- sorry). Among them are Ziggy’s Tom Wilson Jr. and Pixar maestro Pete Doctor, credited with both Toy Story and Toy Story 2, as well as a Bug’s Life and Monster’s inc. Meanwhile, the town is overrun with attendees. To entertain them, Marceline prepares a labyrinth of food and craft booths, as well as activities such as Barnyard Olympics, pie eating contests, and a bait-casting competition. Sure to be an animated weekend. (Get it??? Okay. Enough.) This year it will be September 16th –17th.
Before the farmyard sunset, a tour of the local Walt Disney Elementary, that was decorated in honor of Disney, and was guided by a group of students in full uniform with a routine that could rival a high school production of Oklahoma. Disney ambassadors and tour guides.
Marceline also is home to a newly renovated Walt Disney family museum that has an impressive documentation of the Disney genealogy that makes Before They Were Stars seem like a home movie. I’ll admit, this might be a destination to take in small increments. I think most parents would agree that overdosing on Disney has its nasty side effects, like being swept away from reality – for example. But, if you go, as least stay for one night. The grand finale of a home cooked B&B breakfast, complete with Mickey Mouse Pancakes, is worth its weight in Disney magic. For more info on Marceline, visit: www.marceline.com, and www.marceline.org For more information on the upcoming Toonfest, visit www.toonfest.net For information on the Uptown Theater Bed and Breakfast,
visit Photo Credits: |
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TM
One
of the most romantic evenings I spent last spring was in Missouri. I’ll never
forget how, at the magic hour, I was brought to the “Dreaming Tree” first. It
had the gnarled, hunched over expression of an old wizard. From there, we walked
towards a small barn that had once been a child’s playhouse. The yellow-orange
light beamed onto the westward wall, making it glow as the sun dropped closer
towards the grassy field.
around
for some minutes. My host returned with a wagon and a picnic basket –
transportation devices for carrying wine and glasses across a field. We sipped
Norton. Through the window, we watched the neighboring pond change colors: from
blue to pink to indigo.
Marceline,
MO will always identify itself as the hometown America, as well as the
boyhood hometown of Walt Disney. The same way that Main Street USA is the heart
of the Magic Kingdom, Main Street in Marceline was the heart of Walt Disney’s
childhood. It’s the kind of town that sings wholesome, safe, upright.
Two
youngsters are selected to be Walt and his Sister Ruth for the upcoming year,
based on a prepared skit they audition with. In fact, during my visit, we were
also walked down Main Street to Ripley Park, where a young boy and girl ran up
from a time-warp posing as a young barefoot Disney and his sister. They were
cute, if not a tad overenthusiastic, and recited their lines LOUD – and clear. A
parade down Main Street (an homage to Disney World’s daily afternoon parade down
Main Street USA) features the new Walt and Ruth, and national cartoonists, whose
works are either auctioned or exhibited during the day.
Even
without the cartoon festival, Marceline has attractions that will charm tourists
and families looking for a Disnified Midwest extravaganza. My own experience in
Marceline went something like this: upon arrival, we checked into the Uptown
Theater B&B above the small old-fashioned movie theater on Main Street. The
rooms were apartment style, with bedroom, fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, and
usually a common room. They were superbly cozy, and had been theme decorated (I
was in the 100 Acre Wood room) with every type of paraphernalia possible, from
the wallpaper to the bed spread to the dishes to the shower curtain.
