Saturday, September 1, 2007

The Epcot Thing: More Fun than a Barrel full of Figments

The Epcot ThingWhat is the Epcot Thing?

I can hear that question all the way from this side of my monitor.

If you have been living under a rock or in a Disney-free zone, you may not realize that Walt Disney World's second child, EPCOT, will be celebrating it's 25th birthday this year.

"The Epcot Thing" is the brainchild of none other than Mr. Nathan Rose, founder of Magical Mountain, FlickDirect, and Magical Definition.  You may also know Nathan Rose as the Award-winning podcaster from the Magical Definition Podcast.

Being that Epcot has been a huge part of Nathan's life going back to when he was just a mere lad of eight, Nathan was anxiously awaiting an announcement from Disney in regards to a 25th Anniversary Celebration for Epcot.  Alas, in January 2007, Disney officially announced they would not being doing anything special for this wonderful park's 25th Birthday. 

Despite being extremely disappointed, Nathan decided that if Disney wasn't going to do anything, he would.  He knew that there are definitely other people who love Epcot as much as he does and would chomp at the bit for some kind of celebration, official or not.

So, in February 2007, Nathan tapped his MDP co-host and founder of The Magic in Pixels, Tim Devine, and his other team members from Magical Mountain and Magical Definition to put together a celebration like no other.

Thus was the birth of "The Epcot Thing".

What about those free T-Shirts I've been hearing about?Epcot Thing T-Shirts

"The Epcot Thing" planning team has arranged for there to T-Shirts given away to the first 50 people who show up at the event.  These T-Shirts were made available due to the support and sponsorship of Maple Leaf Tickets and Orlando Vacations.com.

Unfortunately, the window of opportunity to purchase a T-shirt (thus guaranteeing the receipt of one) has closed in order to insure delivery in time for "The Epcot Thing".

So, what Disney Community Celebrities will I run into?

The following Disney community celebrities have committed to be a part of this celebration:

Plus, you never know who else might wander into the festivities, since the Florida NFFC conference ends the day before "The Epcot Thing".

What Events are Planned?

Here is what is planned thus far:

September 30th, 2007 - Pre-Meet Schedule:
  • 7:30 Raglan Road Shandy Gathering (RSVP Required) - Kick off the celebration at Nathan's favorite restaurant with Magical Mountain and Shandy, of course! Starting at 7:30pm Raglan Road will be closing off a section of their restaurant for us. The space can only hold about 40 people so RSVP is required.
    Door prizes donated by Surplus Kingdom. Including the Main door prize of an entire Grand Floridian Resort & Spa hotel room set including a bedspread, pillowcase, tables, chairs, chest of drawers, and more!
Monday Oct 1st, 2007
  • 07:30 Boardwalk Inn - This meet is designed for those who need coffee before our 9 am meet. Join the gang at Epcot's World Showcase entrance hotel for some joe and to walk with us to Epcot.
  • 09:00 Soarin' – get fast pass, after getting fast pass go to Coffee meet inside the Land Pavilion (co-hosted by MouseMom.com)
  • 09:35 Living With The Land - Join the gang on this relaxing boat ride to see how Walt Disney World experiments daily with aquiculture and desert farming.
  • 10:15 Beverlyfest - Join Nathan as he tests his gastric skills!!! Watch him attempt to take 25 shots of the infamous Italian drink, Beverly. If we can get 150 people to celebrate with us, Nathan will up the ante to 50 shots!!! This is one meet NOT to be missed!
  • 11:00 Explore The Wonders of Epcot - Free time. This bit of a break in the day will give everyone the opportunity to go off on their own if they please to eat and explore the wonders of Epcot.
  • 01:00 A Tour of Epcot's Past - Meet at Spaceship Earth as we begin our tour of Epcot's Past with Jeff Lange. Join Jeff as he guides us through the classic Epcot attractions that are still making a big impact on all those who experience them. Included in the tour will be attractions such as "Maelstrom" and "The American Adventure".
  • 04:45 Rose & Crown Dinner Meet (RSVP Required. Wait list available) - Enjoy great English fare with us at Rose & Crown. Be sure to let us know in advance if you plan on attending!!! As of right now, we have ONLY wait-list available. Make sure you send us an email if you are interest just in case someone else can't make it!!
  • 08:00 Illuminations - This is a spectacular show held daily at Epcot. Why not see this wonderful presentation with all of the Magical Mountaineers? Make sure to meet us the front entrance to the Rose & Crown Pub at 7pm sharp, so we can grab all go together to find a great spot.
  • TBD Adventurers Club - For the late nighters (immediately following Illuminations) For all you night owls, join us at the Adventurer's Club for some fun and "winding down" time. You may even be picked to be part of the show!

Enchanted Rose and myself will unable to make it to this once-in-a-lifetime event (and we are very upset about it but it was either MouseFest or this).

But, if you are going to be staying at Walt Disney World on October 1, 2007, and you appreciate the value that Epcot brings to the table, then please attend "The Epcot Thing"

All Nathan requests is that you RSVP to him so that he can get an accurate headcount so as to not freak out the Epcot people when a sudden throng of people show up.

 

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