Dateline Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The "Happiest Celebration on Earth" enters a season of popular events September through December as Walt Disney World Resort tempts the senses with music, art, pageantry, food, wine, sports and stargazing. It's all in addition to the new shows and attractions introduced for Disney's worldwide theme park jubilee commemorating the company's 50-year heritage of theme park fun.

At Epcot, they'll be toasting the milestone for 45 days during the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival -- an event that reaches its own milestone in 2005. Now in its 10th year, the festival has grown in size and stature to become one of the country's preeminent events for fanciers of foods and fine wines -- and even premium beers.

With a schedule running from Sept. 30 through Nov. 13, the festival is also the biggest of the special events on the fall calendar at the Vacation Kingdom -- a calendar that includes at least one special event on 90 separate days.

Here's a glance at the lineup:

Tom Joyner Family Reunion (Sept. 2-4) -- Tom Joyner, host of the nation's No. 1 urban morning radio show, is the celebrity host for the nation's largest Labor Day weekend family reunion celebration -- involving his "extended family" of listeners who are treated to performances by some of the country's best-known musicians, comedians and gospel acts plus theme park fun, parties, family fitness workouts, book club discussions and a slate of family-oriented events to delight guests of every age.

The celebrity lineup is still being arranged. It will include comedian Damon Wayans of ABC-TV's sitcom "My Wife and Kids" and of "In Living Color" fame, Grammy Award-winning songstress Ashanti, hip-hop phenom Omarion, '90s hit-maker Hammer, gospel greats Shirley Caesar, Dr. Bobby Jones, Smokie Norful and Lil iRocc, and many more.

For more information about the events and to book specially priced packages, log onto www.blackamericaweb.com or call 1-888/TJ-FAMILY (888/853-2645) 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. EST Monday-Friday, and 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. EST on Saturday and Sunday.

Night of Joy (Sept. 9-10) -- Christian music's reigning group of the year, its 2004 artist of the year and its most-often honored performer will join together with more than a dozen other Christian recording artists -- plus the winners of two Christian music talent searches -- at the 23rd annual Night of Joy in Magic Kingdom. During two evenings of music and theme park fun, a total of 21 acts will present concerts on stages throughout Magic Kingdom.

Casting Crowns, the GMA Music Awards' Dove-Award Group of the Year (featuring Songwriter of the Year Mark Hall), tops a talent-laden lineup that also features MercyMe, the 2004 Group of the Year/Artist of the Year which in 2005 added an Album of the Year honor. Completing the triumvirate is Steven Curtis Chapman, a five-time Grammy Award winner whose 49 Doves make him Christian music's most decorated performer.

The lineup also features Female Vocalist of the Year Nicole C. Mullen, tobyMac, Cece Winans, newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, Donnie McClurkin, Mark Schultz, Tree 63, Matthew West, Big Daddy Weave, Kutless, Further Seems Forever, Superchic[k], stellar cart and Vicky Beeching.

Night of Joy begins at 7:30 p.m. (after regular park hours) and continues until 12:30 a.m. Tickets are $37.95 plus tax (in advance) and $42.95 plus tax (at the gate, if available). Two-night tickets are $61.95. For more information or to purchase tickets, guests can call 407/W-DISNEY.

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (Sept. 30, Oct. 2, 6, 7, 11, 13, 16, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30 and 31) -- With 15 party nights scheduled, the Magic Kingdom's annual boo-free bash is bigger than ever in 2005.

Guests are invited to dress in costumes and trick-or-treat through the park from 7 p.m. to midnight each evening (after regular park closing). The party includes a parade and a bewitching fireworks spectacular. For ticket information, guests can contact 407/W-DISNEY.

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival (Sept. 30-Nov. 13) -- Guests can immerse themselves in cultural experiences from around the globe or sip to learn at a wine seminar. They can expand their culinary repertoire at one of many cooking demonstrations or drop by the Specialty Beer Garden. The opportunities are many when Future World and World Showcase overflow with first-rate food, wine and beer experiences during the six-week-long Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

The festival features international tasting marketplaces and a lineup of winemakers and guest chefs, elegant dinners, wine schools, tastings and pairings. More than 100 wineries offer tastings, and guests can sample the marketplace cuisine in tasting portions ranging from $1 to $4.50. In addition, the fest's nightly Eat to the Beat! concert series will feature an even more varied lineup this year, including classic rock, oldies and country performers.

Entrance to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, plus wine and beer seminars and cooking demonstrations, is included with regular Epcot admission. Guests can call 407/WDW-FEST for information or reservations for special events and programs. By summer, festival details will be posted on the Web site: disneyworld.com.

Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort (Oct. 20-23) -- A field of 144 top PGA TOUR players will be in a quest for shares of a Classic-record $4.4 million purse. The 72-hole event is played on Disney's Magnolia and Palm courses. The winner earns $792,000 and takes part in a 35-year Classic tradition: a winner's-circle pose with Mickey Mouse.

TOUR rookie Ryan Palmer won in 2004, joining a roster of champions that includes Vijay Singh, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ray Floyd, Payne Stewart, Mark O'Meara and Larry Nelson. For ticket information, call 407/835-2525.

Festival of the Masters (Nov. 11-13) -- Sculptors, photographers and painters -- some 150 award-winning visual artists in all -- will show off their creations, transforming Downtown Disney into an outdoor gallery. Now in its 30th year, the juried art show also features children's activities and live entertainment. There is no charge for admission.

ABC Super Soap Weekend (Nov. 12-13) -- Presented by Colgate Total, the 10th annual fan-fest will bring out more than 30 ABC Daytime stars at Disney-MGM Studios. There'll be star-filled parades, autograph sessions, game shows, concerts and more. Stars from the three soap operas on the ABC Daytime schedule -- "All My Children," "One Life To Live" and "General Hospital" -- will highlight the two-day festival. The fun is included with regular Disney-MGM Studios admission.

Walt Disney World Florida Classic XXVI (Nov. 19) -- For students, alumni and friends of Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman College, all roads lead to Orlando each November when the two historically black schools clash on the football field. The 26th annual Classic will be played at the Florida Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando with Walt Disney World Resort serving as the game sponsor for the ninth consecutive year. The President's Scholarship Gala and other special events are being planned across Disney property throughout the weekend (Nov. 17-20).

Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights (Nov. 23-Jan. 8) -- Talk about magic: As snow falls overhead, the Streets of America backlot cityscape at Disney-MGM Studios comes alive with millions of sparkling lights each evening. The lightshow is in collaboration with Arkansas businessman Jennings Osborne, who developed the display for his daughter. The dazzling spectacle is included with Disney-MGM Studios admission.

Holidays Around the World/Candlelight Processional (Nov. 25-Dec. 30) -- An Epcot tradition continues, with storytellers, a character tree-lighting ceremony daily, a stunning display of snow-white lights, and Candlelight Processional -- guest narrators accompanied by a massed choir and orchestra for a retelling of the Christmas story. The holiday fun is included with regular Epcot admission.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (Nov. 27 and 29, Dec. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18 and 20) -- On 14 special evenings, holiday merriment fills Magic Kingdom. There are special holiday shows, fireworks and treats. For ticket information, guests can contact 407/W-DISNEY.

Pop Warner Super Bowl (early December-dates tbd) -- Now in its 76th year of providing an organizational structure for youth football, Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. brings its Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer and Dance Championships to Walt Disney World Resort for an unprecedented 11th consecutive year. The football national championships involve more than 60 teams from across the country competing in four age groups from 8 to 14 on the fields of the 220-acre Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. More than 70 percent of all current players in the National Football League started their careers in Pop Warner. Close to 300 squads will strut their stuff during the National Cheer and Dance Championships in The Milk House.

In addition to all the festivals and other special events, the fall/holidays 2005 calendar at Walt Disney World Resort also features a continuation of the "Happiest Celebration on Earth." New shows and attractions are showcased at Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Disney-MGM Studios in celebration of 50 years of Disney theme parks around the world, with a new E-ticket attraction, Expedition Everest, rising above the horizon at Disney's Animal Kingdom in preparation for opening in 2006.

For additional information and reservations, guests can call 407/W-DISNEY, go online to disneyworld.com, or visit a local travel agent.

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