Dick VanDyke at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn Update

Dick VanDyke at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn Update

The Carolwood foundation is pleased to announce that there will be additional Priority Access available for the signing opportunity with Dick VanDyke that is scheduled for Sunday, May 11. The number of spaces available will be based on the final count for cancellations of the previously announced date. Priority Access will again be made available for $20, and will include a photo. Guests may substitute their own item in place of the photo. Please, only one signature per guest, and no posed photos.

Please note that there will be no additional public access to Walt’s Barn an May 11. Only guests with confirmed Priority Access will be admitted. The Carolwood foundation reserves the right to refuse admittance to anyone, or to remove anyone from any reason. All scheduled events and activities are subject to change without notice. 

This is a rescheduling of the March 16^th, date that Dick was to be at Walt’s Barn. He was under the weather on that date and rescheduled. Due to scheduling conflicts his time is more limited this month.

For up-to-the-minute updates please follow us on Twitter (@WaltsBarn), check our Facebook page (Walt Disney’s Barn) or our web site (Carolwood.org).

Please join us at Walt’s Barn on April 20^th, for our regularly scheduled public day, when our guests will be Tony Baxter and Terri Hardin. You are also invited to public day May 18^th, when we will welcome stars from the Disney Channel.

Walt's Barn Dick VanDyke signing POSTPONED

This was just posted at Walt Disney's Barn:

Dick Van Dyke Signing POSTPONED

The Carolwood Foundation regrets to announce that our public day signing guest Dick Van Dyke is under the weather, and has had to postpone his appearance. We will be rescheduling the signing as soon as it can be arranged. Walt's Barn will be open on Sunday, March 16 for our regularly scheduled public day.

For our guests who purchased a Priority Access, we will give refunds, if desired. However, you may retain your reserved spot to be the first to enter on the new date. You will be notified as soon as Mr. Van Dyke has rescheduled.

Please note that the new date for the signing with Dick Van Dyke may not be on a regularly scheduled third Sunday of the month. Please check on our Facebook page (Walt Disney's Barn) and follow us on Twitter (@waltsbarn) for up-to-the-minute developments.

Dick VanDyke to visit Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn!

For Immediate Release

Hollywood icon and Disney Legend Dick Van Dyke to appear at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn

Los Angeles, CA, February 20, 2014 :  Dick Van Dyke, Disney Legend and star, will be making a rare public appearance at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn on Sunday March 16^th from 11am – 3pm.  Mr. Van Dyke is scheduled to appear on behalf of the Carolwood Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to Walt Disney’s railroad legacy.  Memorabilia will be available for signing during the event, with all proceeds benefiting the Foundation.

Dick Van Dyke is a Hollywood icon starring in over 15 films including Disney’s Mary Poppins and over 25 television shows, including the long running The Dick Van Dyke Show.  A Tony, Grammy and multiple Emmy award winner, Mr. Van Dyke was given The Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 by the Screen Actors Guild at their annual ceremony.   Mr. Van Dyke has been closely associated with the Walt Disney Company since Walt personally asked him to play Bert in Mary Poppins.  From there he went on to star in other Disney projects such as Never A Dull Moment, Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N., Dick Tracy and TV’s The Golden Girls.   Because of his immense contributions to the Walt Disney Company, Dick Van Dyke was named a Disney Legend in the film category in 2008.  

In anticipation of this special signing event, visitors are asked to observe the following guidelines:  Only one item per person will be autographed; no personalization or posed pictures will be allowed.  All items to be autographed must be purchased from the Carolwood Foundation, although a single outside item may be substituted for a purchased item.  Parking is free, but very limited.  On-street parking is available in Griffith Park from dawn to dusk.  Carpools are highly recommended.  The Foundation cannot guarantee that every guest will be able to meet Mr. Van Dyke.  All scheduled activities are subject to change without notice.

Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn is located at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum at 5202 Zoo Drive in Griffith Park.  The barn is open the third Sunday of every month.  Admission is free.  Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn is operated on behalf of the Walt Disney Family Foundation by the non-profit Carolwood Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity.  The Foundation's mission is to preserve Walt Disney's railroad legacy.  This is accomplished through: sharing our volunteers' and supporters' love of railroading; teaching our children to understand the role that railroads served in building America; and encouraging the continued appreciation of railroading.  For more information on the Carolwood Foundation please visitwww.carolwood.org.  For information about this and upcoming events at Walt Disney’s Barn, please visit us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter (@waltsbarn).

All press inquiries, please contact walt.disney.barn.booking@carolwood.org.

Please note that we cannot accommodate every request. 

Happy Birthday Dick VanDyke!!

Happy Birthday Dick VanDyke!!

To all us Disney Fans Dick VanDyke is the lovable chimney sweep, Bert from Mary Poppins. He is a great comedic actor/dancer who never considered himself a dancer.

As a young man looking to make his way in acting Dick found himself in California. He decided to look up his comic hero in the white pages in hopes of asking him for advice. He was surprised to find that Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy) was listed! He quickly went over and knocked on Mr. Laurel’s door! Thus started a long friendship where Mr. Laurel mentored the young Dick VanDyke. If you have watch old Laurel and Hardy movies you can see Stan Laurel in Dick VanDyke’s mannerisms at times.

Dick VanDyke wrote the introduction to a wonderful biography titled, “Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy, An Affectionate Biography by John McCabe. He tells about his time with Mr. Laurel in the introduction.

Dick was chosen for the lead role of Bye Bye Birdie after auditioning for a small role. In fact a song was written just for him in the show. He was chosen because after auditioning he was nervous and started adlibbing a little soft shoe dance. The choreographer for the show saw his dance and jumped right up and said he had the lead. When Dick told him he did not know how to dance he was told they would teach him.

At the 2011 D23 Expo Dick VanDyke and the Vantastix were performing. (The Vantastix is an acapella group that sings with Dick. They have released an album, Put On a Happy Face.) While performing Dick shared how he got the part as Bert in Mary Poppins. Dick had said in an interview he believed there should be more “family” entertainment offered in the movies. He said that he was told Walt Disney had read the interview and without ever seeing him perform decided he should be offered the part.

While reading the script for Mary Poppins Dick felt that he could do the part of the elder Mr. Daws, the president of the bank. Walt Disney would not hear of it and refused to even let him try out for the park. Dick got in full make up and came in and tried out. Walt was so taken by his performance he gave him the job but said it would have to be uncredited.

To learn a little more about Dick VanDyke check out the WikiPedia page about him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Van_Dyke

My Christmas book, “An Angel Remembers 25 Voices of Christmas” is available!!

This is a collection of 26 short Christmas stories that together bring the amazing events of Christ’s birth alive. It is my hope that this will help encourage families to spend 10-15 minutes a day together during the busy holiday season remembering the true reason for the season.

You can find it for ALL eReader formats and PDF at:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94784

For your Nook the link is:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-angel-remembers-25-voices-of-christmas-carolyn-hoagland/1106912931?ean=2940032802624

It is also available at the iTunes book store and many other ebook seller sites.

The only big site not carrying my book is Amazon.

You can download a Kindle version from Smashwords.com