Lynn Barron - Cleaning the Kingdom: Insider Tales of Keeping Walts Dream Spotless

Synergy Books Publishing, USA

Contents

Synergy Books Publishing

P .O. Box 911232

St. George, Utah 84791

www. synergy -books.com

Copyright 2015 Lynn Barron & Ken Pellman

Cover design copyright 2015 AnaKaren Aguirre

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U. S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, except by either author, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ASIN#: B0134TK7J2

Printed in the United States of America

DISCLAIMER

Except where otherwise noted, this work is based on the personal experiences, and the impressions and recollections thereof, of the authors and may involve subjective opinions with which some may differ. But those other people are wrong if they do.

This work is in no way authorized by, endorsed by, nor affiliated or associated with any member of the extended Disney family, nor Disney Enterprises, Inc., Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the Disneyland Resort, The Walt Disney Company (or any division, subsidiary, or department thereof), nor the Extremely Secret Royal Eternal Fraternal Order of the Armadillos.

All intellectual property contained herein remains the property of respective owners. Certain registered trademarks are used just as a news report or opinion column would use them. All references to such trademarked properties are used in accordance with the Fair Use Doctrine and are not meant to imply this book is a Disney product for advertising or other commercial purposes.

All images used were chosen from Public Domain Sources or from the authors' personal photographs, except artwork commissioned by the authors and images identified by source permissions.

The publisher and authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability or responsibility assumed for damages resulting, or alleged to result, directly or indirectly from the use of the information contained herein.

Some procedures, policies, locations, and other elements described herein may have subsequently changed, and we may or may not note those changes.

Some names have been redacted or changed to protect the innocent, the not-so-innocent, and the embarrassed.

2015 Ken Pellman and Lynn Barron, all rights reserved.

Dedication

To all who have kept the Kingdom Clean, especially Walt

Foreword

H aving worked for 3 years as Supervising Art Director at Disneyland I had a close working relationship with all the departments in the park, including Custodial. I know everyone, including me, took pride in the park. We were dedicated to preserving the image Walt envisioned.

I can remember there were times I would drive my car through the park in the early morning before the gates opened and so as not to allow even the slightest drop of oil to drip onto the street, I would keep a large piece of cardboard with me to slip under the engine whenever the car was parked.

I've always had tremendous respect for the Cast Members responsible for maintaining the reputation for cleanliness that Disneyland has always had and I know Walt would be proud of to this day.

After reading "Cleaning the Kingdom" I have an even greater appreciation for one of, if not, the most important departments in the park. This book allows us to take an in depth, behind the scenes, journey into the land of Custodial. It's written with humor, attention to detail and a 'No subject too delicate to touch' approach.

So climb aboard and be ready to learn all there is to know about what it takes to make the happiest place on earth to, very possibly, the cleanest place on earth. Be prepared to be impressed with the men and women responsible for keeping it that way.

Rolly Crump

Disney Legend

Preface

A s publisher of Cleaning the Kingdom, I have a vested interest in the book as many would understand. However, as a former Disneyland Cast Member and author of several books on Disney, I have a deeper interest in this book based on a truly personal level.

My six years working at Disneyland, working such attractions as Pirates of the Caribbean, Keel Boats, Canoes and the Disneyland Monorail, literally put me on center stage, a stage that was kept immaculate by an army of custodial and maintenance Cast Members. Where many of us were limited in experiences based on the ride, show, store or restaurant we worked, the Cast Members who kept the Kingdom spotless were right there, in the trenches, interacting with Disneyland guests in a wide variety of locations and situations.

Cleaning the Kingdom is the first of its kind; a memoir by several of those prominent Cast Members who walked among the masses, sharing stories that are as magical as they are revealing.

It isnt rare to overhear guests comment on the cleanliness of Disneyland. In fact, Disneyland is often referred to as the cleanest Theme Park in the world. But, maintaining this reputation is more than sweeping streets or sidewalks or wiping down tables. Ken Pellman and Lynn Barron are here to take you to a deeper level of clean, so to speak! You will indeed learn NEW things about the Park!

Insider stories of those who work at Disneyland are often as fascinating as learning about Walt Disney himself, or discovering a Park Secret or a Hidden Mickey. Cleaning the Kingdom is full of amazing stories; funny, surprising, and even some that reveal the human side of humanity when it comes to unanticipated things that people do!

Get ready to become enlightened and amused! And, at the same time, discover what it really takes to keep the Kingdom Clean!

David W. Smith, Publisher, Synergy Books Publishing

Creator, Co-Author: HIDDEN MICKEY Mysteries

Author, In the Shadow of the Matterhorn

Introduction

T he khaki-clad fellow slipped and fell in the noisy, dimly-lit cave as poisonous snakes slithered nearby. My heart skipped a beat.

I started to go to him, but before I could reach him, a machine weighing thousands of pounds rolled over him, crushing him.

I hesitated, shocked.

Everything went silent and overhead lights turned on.

There, in front of me, was a dead ride operator, his body broken by what, in essence, was a giant toy. A complicated toy, a very expensive toy, and now a killer toy.

Thats going to be an awful cleanup.

But that hadn't actually happened.

Those were just the thoughts that flashed through my mind as I (Ken) prepared myself to see another human being squashed like a bug. This was the moment that could turn into Disneyland folklore. I could picture the paperwork, the courtroom testimony.

Heavy pieces of very expensive machinery were thundering by every eighteen seconds.

That can be an eternity. It can seem like a split second. It depends on the circumstances. At the moment, it seemed like an impossibly short span.

The Ride Operator was preparing to dash onto the active track of the Indiana Jones Adventure and grab a guest's backpack and get out of the way before another troop transport thundered over it.

If he were to slip, which was a very real possibility given water bottles, candy wrappers, or hydraulic fluid that may have spilled onto the track, he could be killed or maimed.

Fellow Sweeper Francisco and I were poised to respond if the Ride Op did slip.

I would run out and drag him back. Francisco would call the tower. That was the plan.