Banana Ball! (CM/ex-CM party!)

iridium130 · Post by **iridium130** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 12:12 am

My friend Yvette sent this to me, I know I'll be going....just passing the information on!

THE BANANA BALL
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3RD

AN ANNUAL TRADITION RETURNS...
This will be the biggest party of the year. This is a CAST MEMBER (& FORMER CAST MEMBER) party. If you have ever heard of the banana ball you know what this is all about.

It used to be the biggest party of the year done just for Disneyland cast members by Disneyland cast members. Well now that there is DCA, Downtown Disney & The hotels we figure it's time for the return of THE BANANA BALL! We are pulling out all of the stops to make sure that this night goes off. It's will officially be the end of summer for Disney so we are throwing this party to celebrate.

Best of all we have acquired one of the biggest venues in Orange County to host it, THE BOOGIE NIGHT CLUB. We are going to need the room, because we are expecting 1400+ people to be showing up. We will be playing Hip Hop / Top 40 / House / Dance music all night long with a FULL BAR open to those 21+. It's 18+ to get in for the night, but it's the same price for everyone, only $10 all night long! Doors open @ 9:00pm on Sept. 3rd so if you don't RSVP make sure you show up early to make sure you get in.

THIS IS SURE TO SELL OUT, SO GET YOUR SPOT ON THE GUEST LIST TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT!!
Email - [email protected] for more information on RSVP.

You can bring UP TO 5 GUESTS. You DO NOT need a Disney Id to get in, just show up with somebody who has some form of proof they worked/are working at any of the places mentioned above. Bring a nametag, a paycheck, a picture of you at the park, be creative or just show up as one of somebody's 5 Guests.

THE BOOGIE is located @ The 5 Freeway & Katella exit, If parking is full DO NOT park across the street, you will be towed, try K lot.

Sincerely
- Your Hosts

P.S. Make sure you save a sick day for the day of and the day after this party, you're going to need to recuperate.

CujoSR · Post by **CujoSR** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 12:49 am

i got this in my e-mail also. i was thinking i might go. darn i'm just not sure.

tabacco · Post by **tabacco** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 6:38 pm

Well, I'm not. Not unless someone wants to pay tofly me down :(

iridium130 · Post by **iridium130** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 7:22 pm

tabacco wrote:Well, I'm not. Not unless someone wants to pay tofly me down :(

lol...why dont you drag vance down along with you? maybe you could make him drive ;)

tabacco · Post by **tabacco** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 8:20 pm

he's back in WA already

BirdMom · Post by **BirdMom** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:24 pm

Dammit!!!!! There hasn't been a Banana Ball in a million years and I'm fitting costumes for a play that night

Are they going to have some of the old movies that used to be made just for the occassion?????? (Best one of all: Mr Bill Goes to Disneyland)

Have a blast - everyone who goes - and I want to see a report here.

In the meantime, I will console myself by working on a tall, dark and handsome young actor trying not to stick him too often with the straight pins as I work on his dinner ensemble and cape

Damn - he's REALLY handsome!!! :shock: (Hey, I may be married, but I still occassionally take a peek at what's out there...)

iridium130 · Post by **iridium130** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 6:24 am

BirdMom wrote:Dammit!!!!! There hasn't been a Banana Ball in a million years and I'm fitting costumes for a play that night

Are they going to have some of the old movies that used to be made just for the occassion?????? (Best one of all: Mr Bill Goes to Disneyland)

Have a blast - everyone who goes - and I want to see a report here.

In the meantime, I will console myself by working on a tall, dark and handsome young actor trying not to stick him too often with the straight pins as I work on his dinner ensemble and cape Damn - he's REALLY handsome!!! :shock: (Hey, I may be married, but I still occassionally take a peek at what's out there...)

This is the first time I've heard of the Banana Ball...can you give some insight on the history of it, etc? :?:

BirdMom · Post by **BirdMom** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:04 pm

Banana Ball was started well before my time at the park by (who else) the Jungle Cruise guys. Supposedly, it was trying to outdo an old Frontierland group. This goes way back to before there was a Critter or even Bear Country. The area where Splash kind of loops by the river after drop 5 used to be the Indian Village in the late 50's/60's. I remember it as a kid. There were teepees there and an Indian Dance show every so often. The little gift shop by that end of Splash used to sell Indian jewelry and other items. Anyhoo, the guys from the Indian village used to throw an end of summer party and call it Custer's Last Stand. They'd rent out a hall, and it was pretty much an excuse to have a blow-out. Jungle guys decided to do the Banana Ball as a we-can-top-you-guys party. Same idea - rent a room, charge admission, have beer and drinks. When I was in merchandise in the early 80's, they were a little more elaborate. The rooms were still themed with greenery and props. It's still everyone getting together and partying, but people started making movies just for the ball. There was a girl in Parades that got fired for being in the Mr. Bill movie. That one was great - they had Sluggo pushing Mr. Bill out of the Monorail, Mr. Bill getting runover by a bobsled, stuff happening to poor Spot, then Mr. Bill was watching the parade and as Alice went skipping by she went over to him and kicked him so he went sailing over the crowd going "oooooohhhhhhhhh nooooooooooooooooooo." Alice got fired. They told her she shouldn't have cooperated with guerilla filmmaking. Someone did a short film of fat guests squeezing through attractions turnstyles and they used this song from the 60's, Baby Elephant Walk, as the soundtrack. There have been some other ones - which of course, all escape me now.

After I saw this topic, I told my hubby they were bringing back the Banana Ball, and he just got this big ol' smile on his face. I'm sure it means that he attended some long before we met and had a good time!
He was there from 1980 until 96 or 97, and I didn't meet him until 92, so I'm sure he had some great CM parties under his belt in his single days...
I don't think there's been a Banana Ball since the mid or late 80's. It was over with by the time I got into attractions in 89 (I worked in Merchandise from 84 to 88... ). I've had friends working there since the mid 70's, so I feel like a lifer in more ways than one.

Dante101 · Post by **Dante101** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:32 pm

Apparently what happened was Sue B and Karen decided last year to have a reunion of ex-cast members that haven't seen each other in a long time. And this evolved into a "let's bring back the banana ball" thing.

So last November they did it, and from what I hear, it was a huge success! Lots of people came. So many, that they felt not only should this become an annual event once again, but they should also have it in a bigger venue (it was held at J.T. Schmid's in Anaheim) hence the location for this year being the Boogie nightclub.

Last year they mentioned that they might have found that Mr Bill video. I don't know if they actually did or not, as I didn't go.

I'll try to force myself to go this time. The night before is the Monorail banquet, which they invited me to, even though I don't work at Disney anymore.

BirdMom · Post by **BirdMom** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:45 pm

Dante101 wrote:Apparently what happened was Sue B and Karen decided last year to have a reunion of ex-cast members that haven't seen each other in a long time. And this evolved into a "let's bring back the banana ball" thing.

Leave it to SuB and Karen (two ladies from my old home away from home) to bring it back! It figures!!! Which means it will be a blast - dammit!!! I miss Su - saw her last working at a Robert Palmer concert at the Sun (now Grove) theater.

Hey Dante - did you ever see Karen and Gherki do the safety speil over at Thunder stewardess style? There was an old broken lapbar laying around the control area and they would bring it out onto the dock to demonstrate how to pull the lapbar down - with the cutsie-poo voice :D - it was hysterical!!! That was a million years ago...