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| Daily Flag Retreat Ceremony An O.C. Register photo |
Ah yes, the 4th of July at Disneyland. It's a big day. One of the biggest days of the year in fact. By this afternoon, Disneyland proper will be busting at the seams with people and everyone is there for one event - the annual July 4th fireworks display. But before you grab your spot to see the fireworks, do one thing first. Around 4:30 this afternoon there will be a flag retreat ceremony. Stop by and check it out. It happens everyday at the Disneyland when the flag flies. Walt Disney insisted on it.
Its a little sad. I stop by the flag retreat ceremony now occasionally on my visits to Disneyland to witness the event. Sometimes it seems like there are only 20 or 30 people on hand to see the flag solemnly brought down while the band plays the Star Spangled Banner and half of them look like they are there by accident. Walt Disney's daughter said the ceremony would sometimes bring tears to her dad's face. And Walt said the ceremony is one thing that would always need to continue on in his park.
So stop by today or any afternoon sometime to watch and listen. It takes very little time, about 10 minutes or so, maybe a bit longer today because of the holiday but its well worth a few minutes of your time. Splash Mountain can wait a bit. The flag retreat ceremony is just a wonderful part of Disneyland tradition and history and a connection with Walt Disney himself.
Hi. Yes, my wife and I "stumbled" upon this great ceremony about 20 years ago. It's so nice and so rare in this day and age. Surprisingly, no one has complained that it's offensive to them. Anyway, whenever we stop by, your right, there are usually 30 people tops watching it. But, the ones that are there, really seem to appreciate and respect what DL is doing. People singing, hands on heart...it's great. Hopefully, it'll stay around as long as Disneyland does.
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