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| Mickey and Me |
While out exploring rural Missouri the
other day, my husband and I stumbled upon the small, historic town of
Marceline, MO. Marceline's claim to fame is that it was the boyhood
home of Walt Disney. Being a life long fan of all things Disney, I could not resist a visit to this town.
The main attraction was the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, located in the old train depot which was saved from demolition by the town members. Our guide, one of those town members who volunteers at the museum, was kind enough to tell us about the building as well as give us a tour of the main displays which tell the story of Walt Disney's presence in the town, both as a boy and his subsequent visits after achieving fame.
Two stories she told us stand out to
me. The first was a cute story of how young Walt painted artwork on
the side of the family home with what he thought was black paint, but
turned out to be tar. Who else would mistake tar for paint but
someone whose first instinct was to create with whatever materials he
had on hand?
The other story was that Walt's father
did not approve of his artistic endeavors, not just because of the
permanent tar doodles marring his house, but because he felt that no
one could earn a living by drawing silly pictures. In keeping with
this belief, Elias Disney refused to spend any of the family's hard
earned money on any sort of art supplies for his son. Fortunately an
Aunt encouraged his talent and sent him paper and pencils so that he
could continue to develop it. Hearing this put tears in my eyes and
reminded me what a powerful influence one person's kindness can truly
be.
Walt's father did live
to see that his son's artistic and imaginative talents
did indeed earn him a living.
To learn more about Marceline and the
attractions there, visit the Walt Disney Hometown Museum web site.
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