Playing tag with Pinocchio on Main Street and riding the carousel with the Mad Hatter are dreams come true. Wednesday night, a group of students are bringing the magic of Disney to BYU at 7:30 in the Wilkinson Student Center.
The Disney History Club, unofficially affiliated with Disney, invites any interested students to attend their Epcot Around the World Showcase potluck in room 3380 of the WSC. The event will include cuisines from 11 countries, brainstorming for future events and officer elections. Students with a mild to extreme love of Disney can expect trivia, games and music to enliven the club’s closing social.
Mehlanie Kayra, a club officer from Irvine, Calif., grew up 15 minutes from Disneyland and has visited the park more than 500 times. Last summer, her lifelong love for Disney introduced an internship opportunity working at Rafiki’s Planet Watch in the Animal Kingdom. She and other Disney campus representatives organized the club this semester to provide a place for Disney fans to celebrate all things Disney.
“A group of us wanted to create a stronger Disney presence on campus because we know there are fans at BYU,” Kayra said. “We want people to have the chance to meet other Disney fanatics like we did on our internships.”
The club’s last activity mirrored a major attraction at most Disney parks: hidden Mickeys. Kristen Leinbach, a junior from Jamestown, N.C., majoring in theater education, is the club’s president and helped hide the Mickeys in different buildings on campus. Afterward, students reconvened for socializing, refreshments and trivia.
“We try and incorporate things from the parks, movies and other Disney-related things to do a broad activity that is interesting for everyone,” Leinbach said. “I’ve loved Disney my whole life and it’s fun to hang out with other Disney fans to share in the magic.”
Ashely Craft, a senior from Kansas City, Kan., made Dole whip for the last activity; a specialty at every Disney parks. Craft said she completed two internships at Walt Disney World and looks forward to sharing her knowledge of Disney with other fans at tonight’s activity.
“We all have great secrets we know about the parks, and we rave about the movies that come out,” Craft said. “It’s a safe environment where we can share those things and get excited about it.”
Michael Asay, a senior illustration major from Yucaipa, Calif., said he looks forward to the potluck because it will bring a piece of Epcot to BYU campus. Asay said every activity is exciting as people participate and talk about Disney.
“When we all get together we react off each other and it's one big Disney festival with obscure trivia about the park, talking about our favorite characters and just having fun,” Asay said. “Anyone with an interest in Disney is welcome to come.”