100 Years Young: Grandma Celebrates Milestone Birthday at Disneyland [Video]

Quick Smiles:

• Dee Kolafa, who attended the opening day of Disneyland in 1955, returned to the iconic park to celebrate her 100th birthday.
• Her grandson wrote to Disney about her upcoming milestone, thinking they would send a letter of acknowledgment. Instead, the park surprised her with gifts and an invitation to spend her birthday at Disneyland.
• Kolafa and her extended family enjoyed a day at the park, including a ride on her favorite attraction, It’s a Small World, and a special audience with Disneyland Resort’s president and Mickey Mouse himself.

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Dee Kolafa may have just turned 100, but she’s still a kid at heart! The lucky great-grandmother recently celebrated her special day at the happiest place on earth – Disneyland – almost 70 years after she attended the park’s opening day in 1955.

Accompanied by her family, Kolafa spent her birthday at the Anaheim, California attraction, where she reminisced about the memories she’s made there over the years and created new ones with her loved ones. The festivities included a special audience with Disneyland Resort’s president, Ken Potrock, and even Mickey Mouse himself!

Kolafa’s grandson Eric Sawyer was the mastermind behind the celebration, having written to Disney about his grandmother and her milestone birthday. Little did he know that the park had a few surprises in store for Kolafa, including gifts and an invitation to spend her big day at Disneyland.

Despite having visited the park multiple times over the years, Kolafa still has a long way to go before she can match Californian Jeff Reitz, who recently claimed a Guinness World Record for most consecutive visits to the park – almost 3,000 in total!

Reitz, a 50-year-old Huntington Beach resident, started visiting the park every day in 2012, logging exercise and networking with fellow park-goers. Although the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted his streak in 2020, he’s looking forward to returning to Disneyland for their 100th anniversary celebration this year.

As for Kolafa, she’s grateful for the memories and experiences she’s had at the park over the years, and is glad to share the joy with her family. “It sounds hokey,” she jokes, “but I think we all should be almost grateful that we live on the same planet as (Walt Disney), who had that much imagination.”

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Source: People