Don't forget to use the hashtag #Fairyland, tag our location and find us on Facebook (Children's Fairyland), Twitter (@fairylandca) and Instagram (@fairylandca) so we can see your photos around the park!
Children’s Fairyland is America’s first storybook theme park. Ever since we opened in 1950, we’ve been a magical place for young children to create, imagine, play, and learn.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
FAIRYLAND 2015: A YEAR IN REVIEW
From Rileyland to celebrating our BIG 65, 2015 was another great year for Children's Fairyland. What made the year so great was seeing how you enjoyed the park. Whether it was one of our adult events, Member Day, Sleepovers, Birthday parties or just a regular fun day at the park, we love seeing the photos that you all share with us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook over the past year. We are amazed by the beauty, happiness and fun you are able to capture in just one picture. These are just some of the best photos of 2015.
Don't forget to use the hashtag #Fairyland, tag our location and find us on Facebook (Children's Fairyland), Twitter (@fairylandca) and Instagram (@fairylandca) so we can see your photos around the park!
Don't forget to use the hashtag #Fairyland, tag our location and find us on Facebook (Children's Fairyland), Twitter (@fairylandca) and Instagram (@fairylandca) so we can see your photos around the park!
Saturday, January 2, 2016
SAVING STORYLAND
Although
Children’s Fairyland was the nation’s first storybook theme park, many others
followed. In the 1950s, the world was no longer at war, and families were
growing and looking for sweet places to spend time together. Disneyland, which
opened five years after Fairyland, was certainly the biggest such park, but dozens
of other smaller parks opened around the country, many of them inspired by
Fairyland.
One
of them was Fresno’s Storyland, which has recently been re-imagined after a sad
decline.Storyland,
which originally opened in 1962, closed earlier this year because of financial
difficulties. It reopened in September thanks to a dedicated group of people who
raised half a million dollars from the community.
Bruce
Batti, who heads an ad agency in Fresno, led the charge. He brought his sons –
now in their twenties – to the park years ago, and had fond memories of a place
devoid of electronics and commercialism, a place that inspired make-believe and
love of learning.
I
was surprised when Bruce told me a vocal minority had objected to the park’s
reopening.
“They said that the park wasn’t relevant, that their kids don’t know
the stories we’re telling,” Bruce said.
His
response: “Come to the park with a 3-year-old, and watch as they’re greeted by
a storybook character. Irrelevance is not a word that’s in their vocabulary.”
Bruce
firmly believes that certain things are timeless, and that one of those things
is family members interacting with each other in a whimsical way.
I
know I’m biased, but I have to agree.
The
path to Storyland’s reopening was not easy. Bruce’s agency pretty much adopted
the project, assigning copywriters, designers and event producers to the
project. Bruce himself devoted over 20 hours in some weeks toward bringing the
park back and creating a solid plan for sustainability.
It
worked. Contributions began arriving, from small individual gifts to a $25,000
donation from Fresno natives Brook and Robin Lopez, twins and professional
basketball players, who had loved visiting the park when they were young.
The
Fresno Zoo is adjacent to Storyland, and Bruce says an alliance between the two
attractions could be mutually beneficial. Storyland’s new board includes the zoo’s
CEO and board chair, as well as a former county supervisor, a financial expert,
the general manager of the local Univision channel and an attorney.
Bruce
knows that they have to prove they can be viable over the long term. But recent
press coverage is helping the cause – as are facility improvements that include
the repair of the park’s popular train, Americans with Disabilities Act
upgrades, new landscaping, a new sound system, upgraded security and a new coat
of paint. New park attractions are planned, including a recreation of our very
popular Jack and Jill Hill – a big hill covered in Astroturf. (We’re also proud
that Storyland recreated our Happy Dragon, and installed Storybook Boxes –
operated by Magic Keys, of course – inspired by Fairyland’s.)
Storyland’s
reopening was a resounding success, and the park is currently breaking even.
Bruce and his team acknowledge that much still needs to be done for it to
survive and thrive.
“We’re hell-bent on not spending more than we take in,”
says Bruce, who worked in the park’s ticket office for four days so he could get
feedback from patrons.
Some
months ago, Bruce visited me at Fairyland for a tour and brainstorming. I was
impressed with his energy and commitment to his community’s littlest kids. If
it takes a village to raise a child, it also helps to have a Fairy Godfather on
the job.
-C.J. Hirschfield
C.J. Hirschfield has
served for 13 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is
charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park.
Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television
industry. C.J. is former president and current board member of the
California Attractions and Parks Association, and also serves on the boards of
Visit Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Improvement District. C.J.
writes a weekly column for the Piedmont Post and OaklandLocal, where she loves
to showcase the beauty of her city and its people. She holds a degree in Film
and Broadcasting from Stanford University.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)