Death at the Magic Kingdom

The girls are showing animals again at the County Fair and we are headed out there again today. The rides at the fair always give me shivers. Where else can you find large rusty metal structures hastily assembled by stoned workers. I still ride them, but they just seem inherently dangerous. Not safe like the scrubbed and polished walkways and railways at Disneyland, right?

Well, a few years back, T.J. and I headed out to the happiest place on earth for his 16th birthday. Ok, we really didn't intend on doing it, but I was slated to share at some conference on Church Planting in Anaheim and he was along with me to take in the sights. Since it was his birthday and he had never been and we were in Anaheim, I said, "Hey, lets go to Disneyland.". So we did.

We had just taken in the Haunted Mansion when the attraction added another permanent resident. Ok, that one was bad......I'll try again.

We had just left the Haunted Mansion and were approaching the spot in front of the Shooting Gallery where my brother and I had stood alongside the railing grudgingly waiting for my overdue parents several years ago. As I was explaining this to T.J., we heard a crashing sound and I felt a whip like sensation across my shoulders and back. Tree branches were crashing down around us. People began calling for help and a woman was screaming for her child.

I dove in to see who might need some help, but the park employees efficiently rushed in and began to shoo away anyone who was not laying down. So, we stood by the shooting gallery and compared wounds. We both had scratches on our arms and some big thick welts on our backs and shoulders. No real harm done to us. A red popcorn cart was completely crushed and I saw a man laying down, out cold. T.J. told me he saw a guy with a blood covered face walking about.

We later learned that a person was killed by the giant Oak tree that fell. It was planted right beside the water on one side and a large concrete walkway on the other. Oak trees, I learned, need adequate drainage and breathing room, or they will come crashing down. As this one did.

We did get our money back. In retrospect, maybe we should have laid down or something so we could have gotten lifetime passes. However, Diane doesn't really think we should go back anyways. I think if I do, I will just avoid that spot.