Nazarene Night at Disneyland - 1983

I saw this old photo posted in a Facebook friend's photo album:

That was 28 years ago tonight, and the guy on the right with the guitar is me.  We were singing in Carnation Plaza Gardens at Disneyland for Nazarene Night, an annual private party for the Southern California Nazarene churches.   It was a special evening for me because I had been attending Nazarene Night since I was a kid (and continued to do so for many years after this night), and just eight years earlier I had been an employee of Disneyland.  I used to walk right by this stage twice a day on my way to and from the Janitorial office (it was behind the stage area)

The thing I remember most about this evening was the weather.  A big storm was threatening and the Disney officials told us to expect rain around 8:30.  8:30 was also the starting time for our first of two shows.

At 8:30 we got up and began.  A cold wind was blowing through the stage but no rain...until 8:35, and then the sky opened.  It absolutely poured for the next couple of hours.  The rain was blowing in under the canopy that covered the stage and seating, and our poor piano player, who was off to the left of this picture, was getting soaked.  The keys on the piano were so slick and his hands were so cold he could hardly play.

We did a second show about 10:30 to the hardy crowd that toughed out the rain, and by the time we packed up to leave the storm had finally stopped.  I wouldn't mind playing Disneyland again, but I don't think I'd like to do it with an Arctic front passing overhead.  I had hoped that this performance in 1983 would be the first of many for Nazarene Night, but that was the first and last time.

Unfortunately, Nazarene Night at Disneyland is no more.  From what I've heard the denomination decided to drop it in a protest over Disney's support for gay rights.  Of course, their boycott didn't hurt Disney at all but it did rob a lot of Nazarene families of an opportunity for an inexpensive night of fun at the park.

Disneyland doesn't do private parties like they used to.  I worked there for a couple of weeks after the summer season ended and we had parties coming in almost every weeknight.  The park has changed it's schedule from those days.  Back then the park usually closed at 6pm on off-peak weeknights (and were often closed on Mondays and Tuesdays) and would reopen for private parties in the evening.  They don't do that anymore.

The guy standing to the right of me in the photo is still singing with me today and he has a poster from that night.  It cost $7.  That won't even get you a parking spot today.

UPDATE:  Found some additional photos and stuff: