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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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Tomorrow is Patriot's Day and Marathon Monday here in Massachusetts. Have you ever watched the Revolutionary reenactment in Lexington, or have you ever watched or particiated in the Boston Marathon?
When our boys were younger we took them to the battle green in Lexington for the reenactment. We live nearby. And, I use to work on the marathon route, about 2 miles from the finish line. It's incredibly exciting to watch.
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Sure have! I've only seen the re-enactment once, but I've watched the marathon in person several times when my Dad was running in it.
I really prefer a couple days before when my Dad had to pick up his number - we would take the girls in to ride the Swan Boats, hang out in the Public Gardens, and just have a fun day! Marathon Day is TOOO crowded!
Congrats to all runners, past and present. It sure does get crowded at Copley Square, Marie. Everyone wants to see the winners cross the finish line. I got goose-bumps when I watched first wheel-chair participants with arms the size of my thighs go by, then the elites ran by. I was around mile 24 and they looked like machines! Like they hadn't even broken a sweat! Then there were the local celebrities- Johnny Kelly, still running the entire 26.2 miles at 84 years old! Bill Rodgers- local favorite, father and son marathon team Rick and Dick Hoyt, local politicians. Finally, there are the colorful runners. Teams of friends wearing matching, humorous tee-shirts. Many of them running to raise funds for charities. It is really something to see. I'd like to watch from Heartbreak Hill sometime. The girls from Wellsley college are cheering on the runners and the BC band is usually playing. But one of the most moving things I saw, were the runners still out there crossing the finish line well after the tv cameras and most of the cheering crowds have long gone.
And they're off! The race has begun! I'm going to watch on tv this year.
(P.S. I hear Valerie Bertinelli is running this year.)
Special mention to Patriots' Day: The shot heard round the world. The battles of Lexington and Concord. Observed only in Massachusetts and Maine, and is a public school observance day in Wisconsin. I remember as a little girl, watching the reenactment of Paul Revere. He called out warnings along the way, while we waved our flags as Paul Revere galloped by. I'm a direct descendant of patriots who served in the American Revolution. (Didn't know that until genealogy became a hobby of mine.) But it is a day for all Americans, I believe.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
I've seen the reenactments, but stay away on Patriot's Day. (I'm usually at work, anyway...this year Patriot's Day happens to coincide with our April break).
I saw the reinactment as a child but haven't taken the kids yet, shame on me. But we're from Quincy and have taken the Freedom Trail, does that absolve me? Happy Patriots Day!