posted 06/15/05 09:52 PM Central Time (US)     contact the author directly

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Many of you ...probably, in fact, most of you have been fans of Bing for years. And it must be really neat to have followed someone for so long. I personally, have only about 5 years of "fan-dome" logged. I have relatively few unique Bing experiences and I assure you, no personal memories of his life to draw from... (I was born in '78). That being said, I often feel a bit lost for words when reading the posts here... I'm not always certain what everyone is talking about as regards factual information and statistics and things. I will forever be enthralled, though by your stories that you share. Fascinated by the chance you had to meet such a rare individual and the things you've taken from those encounters.

My favorite personal "pseudo-encounter" however happened still a little over 6 months ago. As it happens, I work in Entertainment at Disney World (in Florida) and with that comes the benefit of being allowed into the parks free of charge. Every Christmas, of course, they bring millions upon millions of "twinkle lights" to New York Street at MGM Studios. This past Christmas I went one evening to the park to see if they were officially "lit" yet because I knew it was to happen some night that week. When I arrived, the sun had just set but New York Street remained in the dark. They were playing Christmas music over the loud speaker, but the lights were not on except a few here and there as they were being tested.

I strolled down the empty street for a few minutes while I listened to a little Celine Dion, Nat King Cole and whatever happened to be broadcast over the decorated facades. As I was about to head toward the "Backlot" and off of New York Street, I heard that familiar introduction and Bing's voice singing "White Christmas" serenading the ... oh three or four of us on the street. I paused a minute to listen because it isn't often you hear Bing in Disney World (aside from an occasional radio show at Sid Cahuenga's). He was so loud, it might as well have been him singing. I was enveloped by the sound. (And perfectly at peace, mind you...) It was only seconds into the song when the whole street lit up... Millions of lights cascading down the building facades and on the rooftops. The whole street was aglow whilst Bing sang to us... well, again, the three or four of us who were lucky enough to treasure the moment. The lights didn't stay on through the whole song... they were only still testing them... to make sure they'd turn on together the following night at the display's opening, I presume. But I was glad they picked that moment to try them all at once. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello and maybe get a start to meeting some of you...