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Capturing memories at Disneyland Resort
“I was a PhotoPass photographer so I got to work with the characters and make magic. I got to help kids recognize that they were meeting Mickey Mouse in person and capture that for the parents. They used to come to the photo shop, which doesn’t exist anymore—Kingswell Photo Shop on Buena Vista Street. We’d help them out and edit the photos and have great interactions. This (annual passholder), he would make these detailed paper cutout crafts of Disney characters, and he would give them to other guests. They were beautiful pieces of art. We were always there to capture these interactions. He just loved Disney so much. And he wasn’t creepy about it. He was really lovely. He was so grateful for the joy that Disney had brought him as a kid, and it was a way for him to remember his mom. He shared his touching story with us, and we’d share some magic with him by printing out his photos for free at times. One day, he came into the photo shop, ‘Oh hey, how’s it going?’ And he had made a whole paper cutout of the PhotoPass team. And he was like, ‘You guys are characters, too.’ He gave us all copies of it. It was amazing. Those interactions matter. They keep people going. I worked there during the golden era of Disneyland. I was there for the 60th anniversary. It was a really cool, chill place to work. We were capturing the happiest moments for these families and their kids. I was grateful to be a part of that.”
—Shirin Haririnia,
former Disneyland employee
Bringing luxury to South Coast Plaza
“I’m sitting there working at my desk, and all of a sudden, I sense someone standing in the doorway. And I looked up and here’s this elegant, handsome, well-dressed man standing there. He proceeded to introduce himself to me. ‘I’m Henry Segerstrom, and my family and I own South Coast Plaza.’ (He wanted to convince us to open the first Nordstrom store outside the Pacific Northwest. The conversation continued for 10-plus years.) We’re a couple of old Swedes; we’re not too swift, you know. He kept saying it’s the best place, and we kept saying the rent is too high. Finally, we were both right, and we agreed. The commitment and the amount of money it was going to be, and how much we were going to have to go into hock to do this, was disturbing, to say the least. But Henry held our hand through the whole procedure. We picked the best materials we could pick, the most expensive ones for the case work, for the rugs, the sconces on the wall. Frankly, we wanted Henry to be proud of this thing! It is the most productive store in our entire company, and the lynchpin for that is South Coast Plaza.”
—Bruce Nordstrom, founder of Nordstrom, interviewed in 2006, from the 2016 documentary “Henry T. Segerstrom: Imagining the Future”
Getting hitched at Knott’s Berry Farm
“Years ago, my husband and I ‘got hitched’ at Knott’s Berry Farm. This was wildly optimistic since we were only on our third date. But dates one and two had gone well, so we took a chance when we spied the Justice of the Peace shack in Knott’s old Ghost Town section. That night, with the very unofficial Judge Roy Bean officiating, I promised to darn the socks and wash the underwear of a man I’d met just a few weeks prior. Michael promised to smile when handing over his paycheck, a habit of his I still appreciate to this day. Fast-forward 23 years later, I was folding laundry as promised, when Michael popped the question again: ‘Want to renew our hitching vows?’ Because our wedding anniversary was coming up, and guess what? Knott’s still does the hitching ceremony, Judge Roy Bean still presiding (if a little younger and sporting a fake mustache). So on a sunny September afternoon, I wore the same veil I wore to our actual wedding, and we exchanged vows that included: ‘We’re crazy about each other—or just plain crazy.’ No wedding cake, but the boysenberry pie was delicious.”
—Barbara Neal Varma, writer and Mission Viejo resident
Working for more than 30 years at the Big Newport theater
“I’ve been with Edwards since 1991 but I was at (Big Newport) in 1992, so I’ve been through the ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ movies and the reboots of ‘Star Wars.’ I knew a couple of the fellas who were the greeters, and they needed someone for one night and I said, ‘OK, I can do that.’ It just went from there. I have tremendous memories. We had people meet their future husbands and wives in line. I have people come back and tell me they met when they were here for ‘Star Wars.’ That’s the great thing about being there as long as I have—I get all these great stories from people. Some were 12 years old trying to sneak into an R-rated film and now they have kids. There was always excitement about being in line, and they always had a lot of fun. Every Friday, I had a group that would come and set up a table with a tablecloth and candelabra and they’d have dinner. When I first started, I had a couple—one came from Riverside and one came from San Diego—and they would meet at Big Newport on a date every weekend. It’s a part of a person’s life. It’s been a lot of fun working there, and I look forward to seeing everyone every time they come. It’s my joy now. I always told Mr. Edwards I’d do it for free. Everyone is always in such a good mood. That’s the important thing—for them to always have a good time.”
—Mark Horner, greeter at Regal Edwards Big Newport
The fountain at Plaza Park in Old Towne Orange
50
Years that the original bronze fountain stood after being built in 1887
$160
Amount raised to purchase the original fountain
1937
Year the current fountain was built
20
Minutes people were allowed to water their sheep at Plaza Park in the early days
17
Episode in season five of “Parks and Recreation” that features Old Towne Orange and the fountain
13
Date in March of this year that the fountain was damaged in a car accident
Movies Filmed at UCI
The opening sequence of “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes,” the fourth in the five-film series released in 1972, was filmed on the steps of UC Irvine’s Social Science Tower. The school has also been the backdrop to scenes from “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001), “Poltergeist” (1982),
and Mel Brooks’
“Silent Movie” (1976).
