America's 250th Birthday & The American Freedom Train (at the L.A County Fairgrounds)

Fifty years ago, our nation was celebrating it's Bicentennial birthday.  At that same time, the American Freedom train was traveling the country as a part of the Bicentennial celebration.

Here are some images of the American Freedom Train, when it made a stop at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.  These photos happen to be from the Ralph and Florence collection.  They were all hand-labeled, and stated specifically that the train was, "In the west parking lot of the L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona."  These were dated, "December 1975."  Many of America's Bicentennial celebrations began in 1975, in anticipation of the upcoming bicentennial.  This also included Disneyland and Walt Disney World's official celebrations, which began in June of 1975.

Note how each of the train's cars had large windows, for viewing some of the exhibits.

Here's Florence waiting in line to enter the train.  According to what was written on the slide's mounting, they waited for two and a half hours!

This is Ralph and Florence's son, Alfred.  The vehicle in the window next to him has the NASA logo on it.  It appears to be a lunar rover/moon buggy.  According to Wikipedia, vehicles like this were used in the last three missions of the United States' Apollo program (15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972.  Since all three of the actual vehicles used were left behind on the moon (following each mission), this one must have been one of the "test" vehicles or "trainer" vehicles, which are still around today, and on display in various museums.

The sign posted for this next item reads, "Friendship No. 1 (1849) - Hand pumped fire engines such as this beautifully restored vehicle were pulled to a fire by long lines of running men.  The early machines have long since been replaced by sophisticated fire equipment, yet it is still the men, the firefighters of America, on who's courage and sacrifice we depend for protection of life and property."

Unfortunately, those are the only photos they took during their visit to the Freedom Train.  But among Ralph's and Florence's set of slides that I acquired, were these two shots of a display created by Ralph.  This first one was dated December 24, 1975, and labeled, "Bicentennial Christmas display - created and painted by Ralph."

The date on this slide was January 1976, and Ralph's hand-written description was, "Comedy Paul Revere scene for Bicentennial."

Here's a random photo from June of 1975.  I'm including it here, because it sort of fits in with the Freedom Train exhibits, except that Ralph took this one at a Pasadena City College "camera show."  The image shows an Edison Home Kinetoscope and it's companion phonograph, which were used for early sound movies and were both patented in 1897.  The sign has a couple of misspellings.  First, is the actual name of the item.  The other is the spelling of the word, "Attempt."  A black celluloid cylinder, which predated flat disc records, can be seen on the phonograph.  The (phonograph's) sign also states, "For use in connection with the Edison Kinetoscope only."

Here's a vintage image from the internet, showing a row of Edison's Kinetoscopes.

To finish out this post, I'm including some Bicentennial items from my childhood.

These commemorative postage stamps and special "cover" envelope were officially postmarked on July 4, 1976.  My dad gave a set of these to both my brother and me.  The stamps are a representation of the 1817 painting by John Trumbull, "Declaration of Independence."

The flap on the reverse side included these logos.

A card containing a facsimile of all the signatures on the Declaration of Independence came with the envelope.

Both items came in this special "leatherette" folder.

Production of the two-dollar bill had been discontinued in 1966, but was resumed 10 years later and reissued on April 13, 1976 (Thomas Jefferson's birthday).  My great-grandmother went to her local post office in Long Beach, CA, and had a two-dollar bill stamped and postmarked for both my brother and me.  According to Wikipedia, you could only do this on the first day of issue for the bill, so the postmark on these reads, "APR 13 1976."

This block of stamps shows all three from this particular commemorative set.

The reverse side of the two-dollar bill was redesigned for it's 1976 reissue.  The reverse previously had a picture of Jefferson's Virginian home, "Monticello."  The new design (below) featured an engraved version of John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" painting.

I don't remember where I got this Bicentennial decal, but I've had it since childhood and never "stuck" it on anything.

I've also had this box of note cards since 1976.

They were manufactured by Hallmark.

There are still two unused note cards inside.

I posted both of these bicentennial-themed puzzles in 2020, in a post about "Vintage Disney Jigsaw Puzzles."  This first one is a Whitman "Frame-Tray Puzzle" for children, featuring only 12 pieces.

And this larger boxed version contains almost 500 pieces, and was manufactured by Springbok, a division of Hallmark Cards Inc.

In case anyone is interested, back in July of 2015, I posted several other Bicentennial items from my childhood, including a couple commemorative Pepsi cans, a pressed penny, and the Sunday comics section from the July 4, 1976 edition of The Los Angeles Times.

Happy 250th birthday, America!

****UPDATE****

I just found another issue of My Weekly Reader from elementary school (dated September 17, 1975).  I previously posted an issue from 1971, which had a cover story about the opening of Walt Disney World.  Interestingly enough, this issue did not have any more info about "America On Parade" at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, other than the very brief description below the cover photo.  There is a note at the bottom, stating, "See the Teacher's Edition of this issue for a special New Awareness Enrichment Section."  I think the Teacher's Edition had more info, because I do remember after these monthly papers were passed out to us, the teacher would review them with the class.

 Page 2:

Page 3:

Page 4:

This issue also contained a special "insert," for ordering books and posters through "Xerox Education Publications."

Cypress Gardens In Florida - 1975 (The Go-Gos & Esther Williams, Too!)

Today, I have more slides of the Swanson Family's visit to Florida, from March of 1975.  We saw their Walt Disney World photos earlier this year, and we saw their Lion Country Safari (Florida) photos, back in 2017.  This time, they were visiting Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida.  (FYI, this park also happens to fall into the category of "Places I've Never Been.")

Cypress Gardens was a theme park, which originally opened as a botanical garden.  It was started by Dick and Julie Pope in 1936, and their family maintained ownership up until 1985.  In it's later years, it went through multiple expansions and multiple owners, but ultimately closed in 2009.  The botanical gardens section of the park has been preserved, and is now a part of "Legoland Florida," which opened on the property in 2011.

I believe this Canadian Outpost was located in the "Gardens of the World" section of the park.  Standing next to the totem poles, we see the the Swanson Family's mother on the left, and the father (Dale) on the right.

The park grounds included many water features, such as lagoons, canals, waterfalls, and fountains.

This next photo shows "mom and daughter," seated next to the Italian Fountain in the Gardens of the World section of the park.  The fountain featured 10,000 pieces of hand baked tiles, and was described by park publicity as being "reminiscent of Ville D' Este in Tivoli, Italy."

This vintage postcard shows an aerial view of the fountain.

The small sign in this next pic reads, "Lolly Pops Bush - Recently Brought To Us."  I looked up that name, and there is a plant called a lollipop plant (also known as "golden candle" or "golden shrimp"), which is native to Peru.  There are also a few garden gnomes hanging around in the planter!

Below, is the park's "Dutch Windmill."  Note the two giant Dutch clogs out on the lawn.  Guests were able to climb inside of these and pose for pictures.

I'm not sure exactly where in the park this next photo was taken, but the landscaping looks pretty lush and "jungle-y."

The water seen in these next two pics, is Lake Eloise.  Those trees with the gnarled trunks (near the edge of the lake) are "bald cypress" or "swamp cypress."  Some of the cypress trees on the property are estimated to be up to two thousand years old!

The park's "Southern Mansion" had originally been built on the neighboring property (in the 1940s), as a home for citrus magnate, John Snively.  In the 1970s, the owners of Cypress Gardens purchased the house and the surrounding land, so they could expand their park.  I'm not sure if guests could go inside the mansion at first, but a 1975 publicity release stated, "Cypress Gardens' newest attraction is the beautiful Southern Mansion.  Located on a hillside overlooking the new Gardens of the World section, it's Georgian architectural style makes it a perfect subject for photographers."

In 1977, the Florida Sports Hall Of Fame opened inside the mansion, but it moved out of Cypress Gardens altogether, in 1985.  On a 1996 park map, the building was listed as "Magnolia Mansion," with the description, "Ice cold beer and Pepsi products, chips & snacks."  This postcard view is from the 1970s.

The park had a "Scenic Electric Boat Ride" attraction, so I'm assuming these next three photos were all taken while floating through the botanical gardens.  I bet it was just like the "Jungle Cruise," but without animals or people.  However, there might be a Native (Floridian) or two, on the far left of this first pic.

These two publicity photos show the electric boats, traveling through what the park called, "The Magic Isles of Movieland."  That name was due to the fact that the garden's "palm-fringed backdrops and colorful scenery have been used on many television and motion picture productions, as well as in magazine stories and TV commercials."

 

The park was home to multiple species of birds.

An African spoonbill:

Two red macaws:

A pair of peacocks:

Cypress Gardens was also famous for it's water skiing shows.  The park had two large covered grandstands, for viewing the shows out on Lake Eloise.

The water skiing shows had a long history at the park (dating back to the early 1940s), and were even featured in a segment of the 1952 film, "This Is Cinerama."  Here are a few vintage postcards, featuring some of the park's water skiers.

The image above reminds me of the cover of the 1982 Go-Go's album, "Vacation."  That cover photo was actually shot at Cypress Gardens, and then the band members' faces were "pasted" onto the bodies of the professional water skiers.  The music video for the song also featured footage shot at Cypress Gardens, with band members "pretending" to ski in front of a rear projection of the film.

The album's back cover:

Back in the day, Disney News Magazine did a fair amount of promoting for Cypress Gardens.  Admission prices for Cypress Gardens were often listed in the back of the magazine, and a special discount was even offered to Magic Kingdom Club members (as seen in the Spring 1975 issue, below).

The following year, the Executive Director of the Magic Kingdom Club took a trip to Cypress Gardens, and wrote about the visit in the Spring 1976 issue of Disney News Magazine.

The Winter 1978-79 issue also featured an article about the park.

And the Summer 1980 issue had an article about Cypress Garden's recent 14-acre expansion.  At this point, the park was trying very hard to keep up with the competition from it's nearby neighbors, Walt Disney World and Sea World.

I'm guessing that the photo of what looks like the interior of a dilapidated mansion, is a part of the Legends of the South "multi-media historical presentation," described in the article.  It sounds pretty interesting, especially the part about the soldiers and pirates who "appear and disappear," and the secrets of "bayou trappers and Cajun voodoo queens" being revealed "in this mystifying mansion of illusion."

Here's a park map and show schedule, from 1982:

And here's a park brochure, also from 1982:

The park had just added new versions of their water ski shows, in addition to a new bird show, reptile show, and magic show.

Hey everybody.....it's Flop the Rabbit!  Remember him?  Okay, I don't either, but apparently he was one of the mascots of Cypress Gardens, along with "Timmy the Tiger" (not pictured).  The miniature car ride was called "Down-The-Pike."  And that miniature parachute drop attraction was called the "Fundangler."  It looks like it was about the same size as Disney's "Jumpin' Jellyfish" attractions, in both Anaheim and Tokyo.

The park's Living Forrest was also a new addition at this time.

"Attractive Southern belles also grace our gardens."  I wonder if that position entailed working an 8-hour shift?

Wow, free parking......just like it was for many decades, at Knott's Berry Farm in California!  Just out of curiosity, I checked the current parking prices (for Legoland Florida).  It now costs $35 to park a car, but it's $55 if you want "preferred parking."

Another attraction at Cypress Gardens, was the park's Florida-shaped swimming pool.

 

The pool was built for the 1953 MGM musical, "Easy To Love," starring Esther Williams.

Cypress Gardens even received special billing as the filming location.  I've never seen the movie, but I can't help but wonder if Van Johnson tells Esther Williams, "I'm sorry, lady, but you're talking nutsy-cuckoo!"

In 1960, Esther Williams returned to Cypress Gardens, to film the NBC television movie, "Esther Williams at Cypress Gardens."  The movie's plot revolved around Esther Williams (starring as herself), filming a fictional television special at the park.  Joey Bishop and Esther's future husband, Fernando Lamas, also starred in the movie.  That's Esther in the pink dress, waving to us from below.

The pool still exists today, and was "restored" by Legoland in 2014.

****Bonus****

For anyone who's interested, an eleven-minute clip from Esther Williams' 1960 television movie exists, and is available on YouTube:

Esther Williams at Cypress Gardens - 1960

Also.....I'm sharing a picture of Esther Williams, from my personal collection of autographed photos.

And, just for fun.....here's a link to the Go Go's music video for "Vacation," with footage shot at Cypress Gardens:

The Go-Go's - Vacation

I still have more of the Swanson Family's slides, so stay tuned for more from their 1975 Florida vacation!