In the late-1970s, “The New Mickey Mouse Club” hit the TV airwaves and featured segments shot at both Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Recently, Julie Piekarski, one of the Mouseketeers from the show’s 1970s revival, vacationed at Walt Disney World Resort — a visit that was loaded with fond memories of her days in the club that’s made for you and me.

And while the series was short-lived (Julie would go on to star on the premiere season of “The Facts of Life”), her memories are ones she re-lives each and every time she visits a Disney theme park. And she still even remembers the lyrics to a song she and her fellow Mouseketeers sang about “River Country.”

We caught up with Julie and asked her about her memories of the show. Be sure to keep a lookout for some classic Mickey Mouse Club memorabilia, as well as a few special guests who pop in to be a part of the homecoming.

One special guest even misses a cue and I give him some good-natured ribbing about it. But don’t worry, while he’s been known at times to lose his cool, he knew I meant it all in good fun.

A Mouseketeer Homecoming Lets ‘New Mickey Mouse Club’ Member Share New Memories with Her Family at Walt Disney World Resort by Gary Buchanan: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

If you’ve been to the Disneyland Resort in the past couple of days, you may have noticed a few new faces along the Disneyland Monorail line. Here to welcome their “Cars” friends to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park, Mandy and Mona Monorails began making trips around the resort yesterday – and they will soon be joined by a third friend, Manny Monorail. You can tell each by their colors: Mandy Monorail is blue, Mona Monorail is orange and Manny Monorail will be red.

Each Monorail has its own personality, which Disneyland Resort guests will certainly hear when riding. Manny, Mandy and Mona Monorails are taking charge of the overhead announcements themselves – providing a new experience along the “Highway in the Sky.”

Come take a ride on the Disneyland Monorail and visit our three newest Disneyland Resort friends – Manny, Mandy and Mona Monorails!

Three New Faces Come to the Disneyland Resort: Manny, Mandy and Mona Monorails by Erin Glover: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Starting in late June, Disney Phineas & Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure is based on the wily secret-agent alter-ego of Perry the Platypus – faithful pet to the title characters from Disney’s animated series “Phineas & Ferb.” Although just a simple pet to Phineas and Ferb, Perry turns into Agent P in each episode to help stop the misguided plans of his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

Epcot guests will transform into secret agents to help Agent P thwart some of Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s most daring plots. Agents will use a high tech detection device called a “F.O.N.E.” or Field Operative Notification Equipment to receive clues for each case. Solving the clues will take agents to different places throughout seven World Showcase countries at Epcot – Mexico Pavilion, France Pavilion, Germany Pavilion, Norway Pavilion, Japan Pavilion, China Pavilion and the United Kingdom Pavilion. Agents will scour each country for clues, evil “Inators,” and – with a little bit of luck – help Agent P defeat Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

The current Disney Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure will close this Friday, May 18.

Disney Phineas & Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure Coming In Late June by Charles Stovall, Public Relations, manager: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

So you don’t to have to wait until your next visit, yes, a tortoise is a turtle, but a turtle is not necessarily a tortoise (see fun fact below). You can find out all kinds of fascinating information and participate in a variety of activities for the whole family May 23 when Disney’s Animal Kingdom and The Seas with Nemo & Friends celebrate World Turtle Day.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests may see a turtle getting a veterinary exam, find out if they are smarter than a turtle, and get an up-close look at some of the turtles and tortoises that make their home at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and learn about how we care for them.

At The Seas with Nemo & Friends, sea turtles are the focus (naturally!). Guests can watch a sea turtle swimming gracefully by in the 5.7 million gallon saltwater main aquarium, learn about the conditions needed for sea turtles to nest successfully (did you know that female sea turtles return to the same beaches where they were hatched to lay their eggs?), and take part in an activity that follows a sea turtle hatchling on its journey to the sea, discovering how all of us can help to remove the obstacles that stand in its way.

I am very proud that the team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and The Seas with Nemo & Friends celebrate and conserve turtles and tortoises every day. Over the years, for example, our animal care team has nursed more than 300 endangered sea turtles back to health and released them back to the wild. And since its inception, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has directed more than $1.1 million to sea turtle conservation efforts through more than 27 nonprofit organizations worldwide.

All of us can help turtles and tortoises by taking action to reduce, reuse and recycle, by making sure that we dispose of trash properly, and by observing turtles and other wildlife from a safe distance, taking care not to disturb them or their habitats.

Fun Fact: The word “turtle” refers to all species of turtle, including freshwater and sea turtles, box turtles and tortoises. Tortoises are turtles that live on land.

Upcoming 2012 wildlife conservation events at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (as always, dates subject to change):

• June 6: Pollinator Day
• August: Cotton-Top Tamarin Month
• Sept. 5: International Vulture Awareness Day
• Sept. 26: Elephant Awareness Day
• Oct. 31: Bat Day

And at The Seas with Nemo & Friends, celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8.

For more from the “Wildlife Wednesdays” series, see the posts below:

• Wildlife Wednesdays: See ‘Spot’ Swim at The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Wildlife Wednesdays: Walt Disney’s Words Tell Today’s Conservation Story
• Wildlife Wednesdays: Central Florida Kids Connect with Nature During a Special Day Camp at the Walt Disney World Resort

Wildlife Wednesdays: Is a Tortoise a Turtle? Find Out This and More at The Seas with Nemo & Friends and Disney’s Animal Kingdom by Jackie Ogden, Ph.D.: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Looking for some doo-dads? World of Disney offers an entire line of D-Tech, which is sure to create some buzz. If your desired gift is more along the lines of something to wear, then check out some of our vintage graphic tees. Dads will dig it!

What about the trendy dads? Try Disney Vault 28, in particular on June 9 when Goorin Bros. joins the festivities, offering a new selection of hats, from retro-inspired fedoras to hip new cabbies. Need something with a little more “sole?” Then bring Dad down for a quick shoe shine before he steps out.

For the new dads? Quick and easy sweet treats from Marceline’s Confectionery – like caramel apples, fudge and dipped marshmallows and pretzels – are sure to be an instant hit.

Or for just … good ‘ol Dad! You know the type, a potentially huge Star Wars fan, a secret rock n’ roller, playing air guitar … or are you convinced he’s really a superhero in disguise? Any way you go about it you can’t go wrong at D Street. It’s sure to suit any retro fan, rock n’ roller or Marvel collector. So, remember to make sure Dad is dressed to a “tee” this year, especially with some of our newer offerings from the Double 5 collection featuring Mickey Mouse.

Looking for something a little more distinctive, eclectic or uncommon? Then it’s off to WonderGround Gallery you go, opening June 9, right in time to find that perfect gift for Dad’s home, office or man cave.

Catch ya later, Daddy-o… because, that’s all I’ve got for now! Look for more details on ArtofDisneyParks.com.

Five Quick Finds for Father’s Day in Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort by Michelle Harker: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Guests can view this model in all its detail beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, May 16, at One Man’s Dream, an exhibit that highlights some of Walt Disney’s biggest dreams come to life. Could there be a better place for the model to be on display?

Here are the first photos of the model in its new location.

New Fantasyland Model Goes on Display at One Man’s Dream May 16 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios by Jennifer Fickley-Baker: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

The scaffolding was 20 levels high and, once installed, the top level was the highest point in the park. Netting around the perimeter was specifically chosen as a medium gray color by Imagineer Kim Irvine so the mountain would look more like it was shrouded in a fog bank or cloud.

The whole rig went up in 15 work days and came down progressively as the paint work was completed. Check out the entire process here in just 47 seconds!

Time Lapse: Scaffolding Rises Around the Matterhorn at Disneyland Park by Shannon Swanson: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

On this day back in 1928, audiences saw the first test screening of a Mickey Mouse short, which was “Plane Crazy.” People often confuse whether “Plane Crazy” or “Steamboat Willie” was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, but Dave Smith clears this up in his book “Dave Smith’s Disney A-Z,” explaining that “Plane Crazy” was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon produced, but the third released (“Steamboat Willie” was the first released).

In “Plane Crazy,” Mickey Mouse and his friends build an airplane and take Minnie on an adventurous flight. Today, it’s easy to see how flight has continued to inspire Disney attractions at our parks around the world.

Here at Walt Disney World Resort, you can fly away on a rocket at Astro Orbiter, board a space ship at Mission: SPACE, or take a flight in Fantasyland on the Barnstormer – Starring the Great Goofini.

In honor of today’s nod to history, which is your favorite high-flying adventure at a Disney Park?

Today in Disney History: First Mickey Mouse Short Previews by Jennifer Fickley-Baker: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

This year, summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20 at 7:09 p.m., just as Raglan Road’s Midsummer Feast is under way. The 6 p.m. dinner in the restaurant’s Raglan Room starts with cocktails, featuring one crafted just for the evening. Dinner begins with an elegant picnic basket of pates and jams including Dundon’s smoked salmon mousse and brandied chicken liver pate. After a palate cleanser of raspberry sorbet with a splash of Champagne, it’s on to a whole roast suckling pig with raisin and cider glaze, braised vegetables and roasted potatoes. Finish with a creamy, light sweet Dundon calls “Pimms Knickerbocker Glory.”

Craft beer pairings include Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Jai Alai India Pale Ale and Bunratty Mead. Raglan Road’s house band, Creel, will perform along with the Raglan Road step dancers.

Cost is $90 per person, plus tax and gratuity. To book, call 407/938-0300 or 407/WDW-DINE, or visit www.raglanroad.com.

Celebrate Solstice June 20 with Midsummer Feast at Raglan Road at Downtown Disney by Pam Brandon: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Which brings me to a question: what does a Disney Parks Turkey Leg have in common with the 110m hurdles? Not much, unless that hurdler is David Payne.

A Silver Medalist at the 2008 Olympics and a former U.S. Champion, David chose ESPN Wide World of Sports as a training ground for his run at Gold in the 2012 Summer Games in London. He’s training under the tutelage of an all-time legend in U.S.A. Track & Field, Coach Brooks Johnson. Brooks has coached a track and field participant at every Olympic Games since 1968 and is utilizing the pristine facilities at ESPN Wide World of Sports to train athletes this year.

While David is all business when it comes to training, he’s a fun-loving guy. So when I challenged him to race “a legendary Disney figure,” he didn’t know what to expect but was up for it anyway. Perhaps he thought he was racing Mickey, Goofy or Donald, because I think he was a bit surprised when a six-foot-tall Turkey Leg emerged to meet him at the start line. This is only the second time my homemade Turkey Leg costume has been worn. It made a cameo at last year’s “Trick or Meet-Up.” And now with this race under its belt, I think it’s time to retire the drumstick.

I don’t think David has ever raced a giant Turkey Leg and I doubt he ever will again. But he and Coach Johnson were great sports in letting me share the track, at least for a few minutes, with one of the best athletes in the world and one of the sport’s all-time great coaches.

(I also found out how hard it is to run with aluminum foil-wrapped shoes.)

The Most Unlikely Race You May Ever See: A Disney Parks Turkey Leg Races Olympic Hurdler David Payne at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex by Gary Buchanan: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog