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Special Events

The Engineering Behind the Magic with Jason Lovelace

February 24, 2010

Last Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an engineering awards banquet for students who attend the university at which I work. I’m not at all involved with the engineering department, but when I saw that the guest speaker was a Walt Disney World Cast Member, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!
The speaker was [...]

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Epcot’s 2010 Flower Power Concert Series Schedule Announced

February 18, 2010

Earlier this week, Walt Disney World announced the line-up of this year’s Flower Power concerts, the series held weekends during the International Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot. The Festival, held March 3 through May 16, 2010, includes performances by bands from the 1960s through 1990s.
Following is this year’s lineup of musical acts:

Mar. 5-7: Jose [...]

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Holiday Storytellers: A Christmas Journey (Canada)

December 26, 2009

Having learned about Christmas traditions of the United Kingdom from Father Christmas, we’ve reached the eleventh and final pavilion of the World Showcase, Canada. The text of the scroll reads:
From the waterways of eastern Newfoundland to the snowcapped mountains of British Columbia, the Christmas holidays hold special magic for the vast expanse of Canada.
Although favorite [...]

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Holiday Storytellers: Father Christmas (United Kingdom)

December 25, 2009

Coming from France, where le Père Noël shared the country’s traditions by way of a letter from Babette, we continue on to the United Kingdom to learn about the traditions of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Here, the scroll reads:
Many wonderful Christmas traditions originated in the countries of the United Kingdom. Great Britain, [...]

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Holiday Storytellers: Père Noël (France)

December 24, 2009

During our visit to Morocco, Taarji taught us about some of his countries most important holidays. We move on to the ninth country in the World Showcase, France, where we’ll learn about le Père Noël. The scroll on display reads as follows:
The magic of Christmas can be seen everywhere in France. The shops and baraques, [...]

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Holiday Storytellers: Taarji (Morocco)

December 23, 2009

Leaving Japan, where the Daruma vendor shared about O-Shōgatsu, we move on to Morocco where we’ll learn about two major Muslim holidays. Here’s the text from the scroll at the Morocco pavilion:
Two major holidays of Morocco are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
One of Morocco’s holiest celebrations is the month of Ramadan, which commemorates the month [...]

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Holiday Storytellers: Daruma Vendor (Japan)

December 22, 2009

Having learned about the traditions of Kwanzaa from the fantastic storyteller Imani, we travel to Japan where we learn about the nation’s New Year celebration, O-Shōgatsu. The text on the scroll reads as follows:
O-Shōgatsu, which lasts January 1st through January 3rd, is the traditional Japanese New Year. It is a time for reflection, family, friends, [...]

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Holiday Storytellers: Kwanzaa (The American Adventure)

December 21, 2009

Though we didn’t have an opportunity to learn about Hanukkah, we continue the celebration of holiday traditions around the world with another stop at the American Adventure. The second holiday we learn about at this pavilion is Kwanzaa. The scroll on display here reads:
Kwanzaa is an African-American harvest and community festival that has its roots [...]

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Holiday Storytellers: Hanukkah (The American Adventure)

December 21, 2009

Having learned about the legend of La Befana at the Italy pavilion, we move on to the American Adventure where the history of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is shared.
Unfortunately, when I went to Epcot to see the storytelling of Hanukkah, the woman who shares the holiday’s history was, according to another Cast Member, on [...]

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Holiday Storytellers: La Befana (Italy)

December 20, 2009

Leaving Germany, where Helga discussed the Adventskalender, Weihnachtsmarkt, Tannenbaum and Nussknacker, let’s move on to the next pavilion, Italy, where we’ll find a good-hearted witch with a story to tell. Here, the scroll reads:
“Natale con i tuoi. Pasqua con chi vuoi.”
This old Italian verse truly expresses the strong feelings the Italian people have for the [...]

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