DAPs Magic Disney News – by Mr. DAPs
Starting in January, there will be more music to be heard at Coke Corner at Disneyland. On the weekends, two piano players will be found performing throughout the day. The two shifts will overlap with the first one running from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM. The second shift will have a second player beginning at noon through 8 PM. This means that now a bulk of the afternoon will now have ragtime piano music being played at the end of Main Street. During the week, there will be one piano player at Coke Corner on a daily basis. The new schedule will begin once the holiday season has concluded at Disneyland.
Ragtime piano music has been played at Coke Corner (Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner) for decades. For many years Rod Miller and Johnny Hodges could be found playing there throughout the day and night, often until midnight. In recent years, the hours where guests could find a pianist at the piano have been cut back significantly. Now, pianists like Ragtime Robert Glenn, Alan Thompson, Michael Pollock, Johnny May, Patrick Aranda, and Eric Abrahamson can be found tickling the ivories.
Guests are occasionally invited to come up and play the piano as well, sometimes even playing duets with the Disneyland ragtime pianists. On some occasions guests have been delighted when former Disneyland piano player Rod Miller has played duets with Ragtime Robert.
The ragtime piano players also can be found accompanying the Dapper Dans in the early afternoon and participating in a game of musical chairs with Alice (Alice in Wonderland), the Mad Hatter, and occasionally other characters.
