Spreading the Ashes...

Spreading the Ashes...

Just wanted to link to this story, from BoingBoing. You might have to scroll down. The post talks about the issue of people scattering their loved ones' ashes at rides at Disney parks.

Sometimes however the cremated ashes aren't found until the end of the night when the Cast Members close down the rides and walk the tracks looking for lost and found. Just last month that situation occurred when a Cast Member at the Haunted Mansion found several piles and a trail of ashes alongside the ride track. The Anaheim Police and Disneyland Security were summoned, and judging by the large amount of ashes this deposit was likely a small group of deceased people, or perhaps a very large married couple. The police identified the substance as human remains, and the custodial crew came in for the clean up.

To respond to this growing problem, Disneyland's custodial department recently had to purchase special vacuums with very sophisticated HEPA filters that can capture the gritty ash of human remains while also capturing the small bone fragments that can also be present after cremation. The Cast Members who work in Attractions know the code words when calling the custodial hotline, and they tell the custodial dispatcher that they need a "HEPA Cleanup" as soon as possible.

Sometimes, there are logistical issues that my imagination would never have conjured in a million years. "We need special vacuums with the ability to pick up the fine ash from human cremation remains, as well as any bone fragments that might remain." All in the name of creating the Happiest Place on Earth.

What hit me as I was reading it though: These Disney Parks are Expensive!

I know Weird Cousin Ernie really, really dug Disneyland...but geez, couldn't have have also enjoyed someplace a little cheaper?

Besides...he's dead. Couldn't we just dump his ashes at Lake Winnepesaukah and just tell him we paid 78 bucks for one day admission to Disney?

You know, at some point, there's been some fully grown child of a Disney Freak, dumping ashes somewhere along the path of It's a Small World, really resenting the shit out of everything...parents, trip, cost of admission, annoying fucking song....

At the end of the day, I'm filing this one away for story material. I enjoy very much the idea of somebody sneaking into a major theme park just for the purposes of dumping ashes....