Forums Closed
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As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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01-26-2010, 12:00 AM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Feature Article: Willcox, Arizona - Birthplace of Rex Allen
Willcox, Arizona - Birthplace of Rex Allen
by Jane Price
Who is Rex Allen and what is his connection to Walt Disney and the Disney theme parks? Every Disney fan knows of Rex Allen's work, if not the man himself. Rex Allen was a singing cowboy who was billed as "The Last of the Silver Screen Cowboys." His most famous recording was "Streets of Laredo," but to Disney fans of all stripes his most famous tune was "A Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrow." Yes, Rex was the original voice of the father/host of GE's "Carousel of Progress" at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair.
And that's not all he did for Walt Disney. His voice can be heard in 150 Disney movies and TV shows! He narrated virtually all of Walt's "True-Life Adventures" and lent his voice to other Disney cartoons and nature shows. Perhaps his most famous narrated movie was the non-Disney, animated "Charlotte's Web."
Willcox, Arizona is the hometown of Rex Allen and a museum dedicated to his life can be found in the historic part of town. Willcox is a small town in Southeast Arizona on I-10. There are two parts of the town, which follow the changing times. The old, historic part of town, which houses the museum, is located along the Union Pacific Railroad. The newer, commercial part of town is located north of the older part along the interstate highway. Willcox is also the gateway to beautiful, but little known, Chiricahua National Monument. The Chiricahua Mountains are but one of many mountain ranges rising up from the desert floor that surround the town. This mountainous national monument, with its varying temperate zones and unusual rock formations, is a destination in its own right and only adds to the reasons you should visit the area.
The western town of Willcox is friendly and fiercely proud of its heritage, especially its native son. In the historic part of town, in addition to the Rex Allen Museum, there are other attractions: a railroad museum celebrating the railroad's role in westward expansion; a Marty Robbins museum (remember the song about the guy who fell in love, got shot, and died in the west Texas town of El Paso?); a movie theater; and a small, picturesque park. The park has a statue of Rex, plaques telling you about his life, including his connection to Walt Disney, and a burial marker for his beloved horse, Koko. All of these are within a few yards of each other, with convenient, nearby, free parking. Along this strip are also western wear shops where you can get boots and a cowboy hat to make you feel at home in the old west. Some places to get a hearty western meal are nearby as well.
If you make your visit in the late summer or fall, there are orchards north of the town where you can get fresh peaches or apples, or freshly pressed apple cider at Apple Annie's.
Around the first weekend in October, the town goes all out to celebrate Rex Allen Days. Western-style entertainment; a big, small-town parade involving the whole town, craft vendors, a western rodeo, and a small carnival are among the offerings during Rex Allen Days. It is the best time to visit.
Remember, Arizona is so much more than the famous Grand Canyon. Every Disney fan ought to pay a visit to Willcox and the Rex Allen Museum, because of his great contribution to Walt Disney's best works.
View the full article and download a free formatted PDF of it here!
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 12-03-2009 11:52 PM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
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