something new every day

I took Katrina to the lakefront tonight...like I said, hot date spot where I seduce all my women. It was livelier than last time, with a jazz band and a lady singing Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James. Tons of people, and it was looking pretty diverse. James Rouse would be proud. Well, diverse racially anyway; most people were looking fairly trendy and suburban, but that makes sense.
I was feeling very Columbia tonight. I got to show Katrina the People Tree and give her the history of the place. And show her the statue of Rouse and the bricks of all the people I knew who were around from the beginning. And we found Edward Norton's brick, and she was very impressed that he was a Columbian...not that he's really a big deal or anything, but we claim him. I always like telling people all about Columbia, or College Park, or other places I try to rep.

I found out an interesting HoCo fact myself today...

Disneyland was the first theme park in the United States, and opened in Anaheim, California on July 17, 1955. It was segregated.

A month later, The Enchanted Forest became the second theme park in the United States, when it opened in Ellicott City, Maryland on August 15, 1955. It was integrated from the very beginning.
That just makes me smile.

then (although it's in color, so maybe in the 60's)




...and now

Happy 50th, Enchanted Forest!!!