Photo credit Jennifer Gerlock

To celebrate the final days of summer, Disney Parks held Disney Summer Social events in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Atlanta. Designed to bring a little Disney magic to their hometowns, bloggers from each region had the opportunity to mingle with Laura Spencer and Leanne Jakubowski of Disney’s social media team who wanted to “spend a little time getting to know you, your blog, and your community.”

Bloggers appreciated the opportunity to interact with Disney staff in an intimate environment where the absence of an agenda made for a carefree event that provided the chance to learn more about the Disney parks.

Leanne Jakubowski from Disney's social media team

“It was laid back and low pressure,” said Thien-Kim Lam (My Cup of Creativi-Tea and I’m Not the Nanny) who attended the Baltimore event.  She used the opportunity to talk to Atlanta’s Jennifer Wilkes, a mom and Disney enthusiast with lots of knowledge about the parks and attended on behalf of Disney. “Jennifer even convinced me that my toddler wasn’t too young to take to Disney World.”  J.J. Newby of Caffeine and a Prayer enjoyed hearing about “some of the things Disney was doing with social media in terms of Gowalla, etc.”

The Baltimore event featured kid-friendly fare such as sliders, mini pizzas, and rolled sandwiches and Mickey themed desserts like oversized chocolate dipped shortbread cookies and Rice Krispie treats.  Families dined at tables decked out with Disney themed décor.  Giant mouse-shaped helium balloon bouquets towered overhead and various styles of mouse ears served as table centerpieces and event favors.  While there, young attendees enjoyed puzzles, games, crafts, and the artistry of a skilled body painter who decorated arms with Disney characters like Flounder, Ariel, and Tinkerbelle.

Stephanie Dulli from Dial M for Minky models mouse ears

Jennifer Gerlock from Hip as I Wanna Be summarized Disney Summer Social by saying, “It was a lovely ending to our summer! My family and I had a wonderful time socializing with blogging pals, connecting with the folks who help make the Disney magic and meeting new friends. It was a real treat!”

A Parent in Silver Spring’s Jessica McFadden felt “all of the Disney touches made the experience extra special. My daughter Evie adored her fancy Tinkerbelle tattoo and Charlie had a blast wearing pirate mouse ears and whooping it up at the toy tables with the other kids. Maria Bailey of BSM Media and Leanne Jakubowski of Walt Disney World Resort put on a fabulous event.”

Lara DiPaola (Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom) felt that “there may have been pixie dust in the goodie bags we came home with, as we are already planning our next Disney vacation!”

Photo credit Jennifer Gerlock

Leticia Barr

Leticia Barr, one of our tech editors, is the founder of Tech Savvy Mama, a site that assists parents in finding the best technology products, websites, and resources for children of all ages. Tech Savvy Mama was started because of Leticia’s personal experience of bringing a computer into her home for their now elementary-aged daughter. Leticia splits her day between serving as a family internet safety and security expert and being a mom and her nights between blogging at her own site, writing for The LeapFrog Community, consulting for educational companies, working behind the scenes on the MyBlogalicious site, and tweeting. Frequently asked how she does it all, she replies that she doesn’t sleep much!

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