To PP's who visited Florida during Christmas years ago...Lantana FL - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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!
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To PP\'s who visited Florida during Christmas years ago...Lantana FL
Did anyone ever visit Lanatana Florida for the Largest Christmas Tree and all the decorations? I was 6 or 7 when we started going and it became a tradition, until they stopped doing it. I think it was the man who owned The Inquirer?? It is just a fond memory for me. Does anyone know if there are pics on the internet? I think it's been over 20 years since they've done it. Thanks [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Re: To PP\'s who visited Florida during Christmas years ago...
Wikipedia has this:
"For most of the 1970s and 1980s, Lantana was home to the tradition of hosting the largest Christmas Tree in the World. Every year, a huge tree would be shipped from the Pacific Northwest to Lantana by rail to the property of the National Enquirer, adjacent to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. The event would attract thousands of visitors every night, and grew to be one of Palm Beach Counties most spectacular and celebrated events. The torch went out for this annual festivity with the death, at the age of 61, of National Enquirer founder Generoso Pope Jr. in the late 1980's."
I couldn't find any pictures anywhere, however.
Sorry!
Eileen
Re: To PP\'s who visited Florida during Christmas years ago...
Aww! Thank you! Thank you! Eileen! You're so sweet! I didn't know where to look! Since my Mom is gone and my Dad hardly talks to me, I have to put chilhood memories together myself. Thanks again so much! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
I did remember that his family did not continue this tradition. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] What a wonderful man he was!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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I remember that tree. It seemed like it just belonged. It was so cool because it was a real tree, and you could see this thing like a skyscraper for miles away. For years, stopped going, but then one day (circa 2005) found out it was gone, because Pope had died. I believe I was there for the last year it was put up. Very sad nobody has pictures. That was a must see in your lifetime, and I feel priveledged to have witnessed it.
I don't know what made me do it, but I did some digging and found someone who has a page dedicated to this tree -his dad acatually worked on decorating it!
I found that site about 3 days ago. I think it is a myspace page. Very impressive. The tallest real tree in Palm Beach County is now only 40 feet in height.
I think it is sad, and a commentary on society, that the family did not continue this tradition that obviously made people very happy and became a holiday tradition for many.