In this mini-episode (or is it an infomercial?), we discuss our upcoming RetroMagic 2025 event, coming to the Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World the weekend of September 26-28, 2025.

Tickets are available at https://retromagic.net

How much would you pay to see Imagineer Tony Baxter? $700?! $900?! How about $185!!!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!!

How about the creative and technical leads responsible for The Living Seas pavilion, Tim Delaney and Kym Murphy?

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!!

· A charming feature of Main Street USA, we’ll take a deep dive into Walt Disney World’s Penny Arcade. Arcade expert Todd Tuckey of TNT Amusements will join a panel transporting you to the cool, dark haven of novelty games of yesteryear with rare photographs of the arcade, a look at some of the vintage games that resided in the space and where some of them live on today

· Historian Hastin Zylstra will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the Lake Buena Vista townhomes and their California origins including their connection to Disneyland. This oddball slice of Walt Disney World history is one you won’t want to miss.

· Author and historian Foxx Nolte will revisit Lake Buena Vista shopping village. Before Disney Springs, Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island this quaint shopping and dining oasis was a charming beacon for locals and tourists alike. You’ll learn about its diverse offerings and its real-life counterpart its design was based on. · Disney Legend Tom Nabbe will reunite with members of the opening day monorail crew from October 1971. You’ll hear tales and travails of the early years of the Highway In The Sky. Panelists to be announced.

· A panel of “opening crew” and executives for Walt Disney World in 1971 and EPCOT Center in 1982 will join us to reveal behind-the-scenes stories from their storied careers. Steve Baker, whose 23 year career with Disney began opening the parking lots and bus transportation in October 1971 and concluded as EPCOT Center’s Development Director will join us. Jim McCaskill was on the opening day crew in 1971 and his final role saw him overseeing relationships with corporate sponsors like MetLife and Siemens. Steve and Jim are confirmed guests for this event. More panelists to come.

· It’s Time To Get Things Started: The Muppets at Walt Disney World. Some of the men and women behind Muppetvision 3D and the Here Comes The Muppets stage show at Disney-MGM Studios will join us to remember the early Muppets-Disney partnership in Florida. Guest panelists to be announced.

· Showtime! – From the LBVHistory Archives: We’ve been putting aside photographic, film and video clips that left us so gobsmacked they had to be saved to share with a live audience. Historians will join us as we look at some lesser remembered bits of Walt Disney World completely forgotten or never before seen on film.

· The Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village returns for guests to peruse our archive of artifacts, set pieces, souvenirs and memorabilia from Walt Disney World’s past. Authors, artists, historians and VIP’s will meet and greet attendees during the scheduled breaks

· More panels, guests and experiences to be announced.

DON'T DELAY, ORDER TODAY!!! OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY!!!

Take a deep dive into the music of the original EPCOT Center, including:

• How the Epcot entrance loop ripped off music from rock bands Alan Parsons Project and Trickster
• Hear the original, longer version of "Closer to You," the song from AT&T's "Age of Information" exhibit that predicted the future with incredible accuracy
• Composer George Wilkins' favorite piece of music that he wrote for Epcot
• The arranger who worked on Bob Moline's Epcot songs, including "Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)." Hint: he went on to compose the music for a Spaceship Earth rehab

Join us as Todd, Brian, JT, How and our listeners reveal their favorite songs from the many eras of Epcot and we reveal behind-the-scenes details about each of them and the beloved attractions they came from.

This month Brian leads a discussion about banking at Walt Disney World and everything guests had to do to pay for their transactions at the parks and resorts before debit card terminals and Magic Bands became ubiquitous. Cash was king, but Traveler’s Checks and personal checks were also common before Walt Disney World began allowing credit cards. We’ll reveal how they worked, their benefits, and their frustrations.

We also dive into the history of Disney’s relationship with its original banking partner, Sun Bank. Find about their full-service branches located in each of the parks and near Disney Springs, including the beautiful late-1880s-styled bank on Main Street which is now the Chamber of Commerce, and why we think the bank vault is still there. If you’re a cast member who can confirm or deny our hunch, send us an email! Todd also takes us into the many advancements in banking technologies that make paying for things in the park easier and more worry-free today.