July 4th Fireworks Spectacular!

In honor of the 237th Birthday of our country, I am going to feature a few shots of the Fireworks Spectacular at Disneyland, with the first one from August 1958, followed by a July 1969 shot:



A few of the earlier ones that I shot myself from July 2006:





In this July 2008 photo, you can see Tinker Bell flying around the Castle turrets:



Former Tomorrowland Flight Circle cast member Cox Pilot shared his memories of the original woman who "played" Tinker Bell:

Tinker Bell began her flights over the Disneyland castle from the top of the Matterhorn in 1961. It's almost always been a real person up there (although they tried a dummy for a short while). The first Tink was a former circus performer in her 70’s named Tiny Kline, who originally wanted to hang from her teeth as she did in the circus (Disney would have none of that). The only way to stop her at the end was for her to crash into a mattress behind the berm! Kline retired in 1964 due to health problems and was replaced by Judy Kaye who was Tinker Bell for another decade. There was even a Mary Poppins for a while.

And lest we forget the REAL meaning behind July 4th, here are a few photos that celebrate two of the men that were crucial to the importance of that day. George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, circa 1952:



Thomas Jefferson's masterpiece, Monticello, from 1964:



And the building where the Declaration of Independence was signed, Independence Hall in Philadelphia:





Let freedom ring:



See more vintage & current Disneyland fireworks photos on my fireworks web page.