Party at Walt’s Place : Disneyland Faithful Gather to Mark the Park’s 40th Birthday

Shortly after Mickey Mouse buried a time capsule in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle during Disneyland’s 40th anniversary celebration Monday, a small figure with a familiar voice appeared atop the Matterhorn to lead the crowd in a rendition of Happy Birthday.

“Was that Randy Travis?” 43-year-old Bill Magazin asked some friends in the crowd. “It could have been Regis Philbin up there for all I could see.”

It was indeed Travis, the Grammy-award-winning country-Western singer who joined Walt Disney’s 65-year-old nephew, Roy Disney, Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner and other celebrities and dignitaries who placed 1995 memorabilia inside the capsule to commemorate the park’s 40th birthday. The “Time Castle” will be opened in 2035.

In his remarks to the crowd, Roy Disney repeated his uncle’s famous quote: “Disneyland will never be completed . . . as long as there is imagination left in the world.” He added that “I think Walt would be very pleased that his promise has been kept so far.” Actor Fess Parker, star of Disney’s “Davy Crockett” series, which aired in the mid-1950s, said that “when I rode with Walt in the opening day parade 40 years ago, I was just a young fella and didn’t really know what it all meant. Now, I’m looking forward to coming back to the 50th.”

Monday’s ceremony featured music, dancers, fireworks, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto. The park, which has attracted 350 million visitors since it opened in 1955, Monday drew hundreds of Disneyland’s most faithful, many of whom planned vacations around the event and booked hotel reservations as long as a year in advance.

“I’m hyped!” said 47-year-old Leslie Lawlorn. “I’ve come here for the 25th, the 30th the 35th and now the 40th. This is absolutely spectacular.”

Some devotees, like Lawlorn, began camping out at 6:30 a.m. to get a front-row view of the time capsule dedication.

“I told my employer to reschedule me, even though we’re doing inventory today,” said Suzanne Young, 37. “I wanted to be here today. It’s history. A part of our lives.”

Holding a camera tightly, 40-year-old Lynn Boyd took photos of the proceedings and proudly recited some Disney facts as Travis appeared.

“The Matterhorn is 147 feet tall,” said Boyd, who then showed off a Tinkerbell tattoo on her waist and admitted that she named her 18-year-old son, Mickey, after Mickey Mouse.

“He thinks his mom’s crazy,” Boyd said. “But it’s cool. My heart’s in it.”

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Laura Snyder, 33, brought her three young children to the celebration and was more giddy than the youngsters. “We came here to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Disneyland,” said the Yorba Linda resident. “It’s my favorite place in the whole world.”

But Snyder’s 9-year-old son, Steven, was concise about his reason for coming to Disneyland Monday: “I heard there was free cake.”

Barbara J. Schneid, 42, a collector of Disney memorabilia who came from Dallas for the party, said she was disappointed in the festivities overall.

“How could you have a 40th anniversary at the park and not have any of the original Mousketeers?” Schneid said.

Still, Schneid said she enjoyed getting together with other Disney enthusiasts to mark the occasion. “Disneyland has given me 40 years of pleasure,” she said. “I consider that a gift.”

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While the event took on historic proportions for many, some visitors just happened to show up.

“We were wondering why all those people were sitting over there,” said 74-year-old Carl Rossman, who skipped the anniversary celebration and instead spent his morning on the Indiana Jones Adventure, Space Mountain, the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain.

“When we were driving over here, we heard about the anniversary on the radio and I said, ‘Let’s turn around’,” said Rossman’s 45-year-old daughter, Ann. “But, I’m glad we came. I remember coming here on graduation night and just running to all the rides.”

Other events included a 40th birthday photo of Disneyland employees on Main Street, taken early Monday morning, which was among the items placed in the time capsule.

During his brief comments to the crowd, Eisner spoke of Walt Disney’s “sense of fun and exhilaration” and “dedication to entertainment.” Later, he signed autographs and shook hands as he made his way through the crowd. During a brief interview, he was noncommittal about the possibility that Disney might bring a National Football League franchise to Anaheim.

“All that is speculation,” Eisner said.

Eisner also said it is premature to talk about plans for the California Angels, because the team is not firmly in Disney’s control. The entertainment giant purchased 25% of the baseball team in May.

But Eisner said that within 5 to 10 years, the company will have a new nighttime entertainment area, a second theme park and hotels in Anaheim.

Times staff writer Chris Woodyard contributed to this report.