Grandma Who Attended Disneyland's 1955 Opening Returns to Celebrate 100th Birthday

Dee Kolafa returned to the park last week — along with her extended family — to celebrate her big day, eat beignets and ride "It's a Small World"

A woman who attended the 1955 opening day of Disneyland in California just celebrated another big occasion at the park — her 100th birthday!

Dee Kolafa and her family returned to the Anaheim, California attraction on March 29 to mark her special day with a celebration, almost seven decades after she visited Disneyland on its first day as an amusement park.

"I didn't know they were going to do this much," Kolafa told ABC 7. "I was just real pleased that they were going to bring me a celebration."

The mother of five has her grandson Eric Sawyer to thank for setting up her second big day at the iconic park.

Related:Calif. Man Breaks Guinness World Record After Visiting Disneyland Almost 3,000 Times

Sawyer told the station that he wrote to Disney about his grandmother and that she was going to turn 100 — the exact same milestone as The Walt Disney Co. marks in 2023.

Thinking his Grandma Kolafa would be happy with just a letter of acknowledgment, the park surprised them both with gifts and an invitation to spend her birthday at Disneyland.

Last week, Kolafa and her extended family visited the park and reminisced about the memories they've made there over the years — and created some new ones too.

Related:Disneyland Opened on This Day in 1955! Celebrate with Some Incredible Vintage Photos of the Park

This included jumping on Kolafa's favorite ride, It's a Small World, and eating her favorite theme park fare: beignets.

Fittingly, the family was also treated to a special audience with Disneyland Resort's president, Ken Potrock — and Mickey Mouse himself — after Kolafa was given a personal tour of Walt Disney's apartment.

"It's gorgeous," Kolafa told The Orange County Register. "I love the nostalgic pictures, and that the things that really meant something to him are up there."

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"I'm older than you, Mickey," the newly crowned centenarian joking told the iconic cartoon character, the outlet added. "It sounds hokey, but I think we all should be almost grateful that we live on the same planet as (Walt Disney), who had that much imagination."

While Kolafa has visited Disneyland multiple times over her 100 years — including one "quick trip" that resulted in a 400-mile drive, she told The Orange County Register — the centenarian still has a long way to go before she can match Californian Jeff Reitz.

On Feb. 24, the 50-year-old claimed a Guinness World Record for most consecutive visits to the park, having walked through Disneyland's doors almost 3,000 times.

Reitz started visiting the theme park every day in 2012, totaling 2,995 trips over the course of eight years, three months and 13 days.

Related: Every Disney Movie Based on a Ride

"It started as a joke between friends when Disneyland announced they were giving an 'Extra Disney Day' when they announced the Leap Day 24-hour event in 2012," the Huntington Beach man told the Guinness World Records.

"We decided to use Disneyland as a positive as we were out of work and had annual passes that had been gifted, so it was a source of free entertainment," he said. "It helped to get us out and put a positive mindset, log exercise with all the steps taken, and always networking since you never knew who you would meet."

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Had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic ending his streak on March 14, 2020, Reitz would've visited the park 3000 times. However, he is looking forward to returning for Disney's 100th-anniversary celebration this year.

"I have not set a return date yet, but now I think it would be really fun to return with my Guinness World Records title certificate to get pictures where I earned it — inside Disneyland," Reitz said.

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