An evening with Dick Van Dyke, THE Dick Van Dyke.  An almost unimaginable experience and one that I will never forget.  It all happened by accident.  We had planned a trip to Disneyland to celebrate the 60th Anniversary on the actual anniversary date.  I was looking through Facebook one day and saw an event being held by Legends Events featuring Dick Van Dyke.  I decided to follow the link to see what all the excitement was about.  (This is probably a good time to mention that Dick Van Dyke is one of my all time favorite actors.  Not only is he amazing in Mary Poppins, but I love watching the Dick Van Dyke show.  Something I used to do with my Dad)  So as I read I found out that he was going to be at this event during the time in which we were in Disneyland.  So I decided to mention it to my husband to see if there was any chance that we could go.  After a little arm twisting, really not that much, he decided that we could purchase tickets for the event.  Well I don’t think either one of us expected what happened once we arrived.

I have to admit that I have never packed dress clothes for a trip to Disney so this was a first for me.  When we arrived at the event I was star struck from the beginning.  We were placed at a front table that was probably only 12 feet from where Dick Van Dyke would be sitting for the evening.  It was a bit overwhelming as we sat down to meet those who we would be dining with.  After some introductions to those who were there we realized that Richard Sherman was also seated at our table.  (For those who might not know, Richard Sherman and his brother, wrote the music for Mary Poppins)  I almost couldn’t believe that this was real.  As we began being served our dinner, in walked Dick Van Dyke.  I still can’t put into words how I felt at that moment.  I was in awe and still feel as if it wasn’t real.  He graciously interacted with people sitting at the tables before he sat down to eat his dinner.  Just to be in the presence of someone that you have watched on TV all these years brought me to tears.

We enjoyed a lovely meal and afterwards the Q & A session was ready to begin.  We were able to send in some questions that might be answered that evening.  Fortunately one of my questions was picked.  I had asked if the actors in Mary Poppins knew how unhappy P.L. Traverse was with how the movie was being done?  His answer was that they knew she was unhappy but most of the details were kept from the actors themselves.  He later learned that she didn’t like him nor did she want Julie Andrews to do the part of Mary Poppins because she was too pretty for the part.  In P.L. Traverse’s book, Mary Poppins is older, not friendly and doesn’t have a “cheery disposition”.  It was exciting that he would answer one of the questions that I sent in.

After the Q & A session, Dick and the Vantastix sang many familiar songs from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins.  It was most delightful to see him in person singing and dancing.  Yes he is 89 and was still dancing, a little.  After these songs we were then treated to a special song where Richard Sherman played the piano and Dick and the Vantastix sang the song “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”.  I am so glad that we were able to take video and pictures so that we could remember this evening forever.

After the evening was winding down, we had our opportunity to meet and take a picture with him.  It was a pleasure to meet and talk with one of my favorite people.  He was kind and generous and answered a few questions.  The short time talking with him will be a much loved memory that I will treasure forever.  It is hard to express the emotion that I felt that night but to know that I met THE Dick Van Dyke is still somewhat of a dream to me.  I often look at the pictures or watch the videos to remind myself that it was all real.  I hope you enjoy the pictures and remember that dreams do come true.

To Infinity and Beyond Travel – Traci