MouseFest 2009 on "hiatus"

(Scene of the 2008 Mega Mouse Meet)

In what has to be a shocking announcement for major Walt Disney World fans, the organizers of the immensely popular MouseFest event announced today that the 2009 event has been put "on hiatus," due, in part, to the stepping down of the event's chairperson, Dave Marx. In a news release issued today by MouseFest organizers, the reason Marx apparently decided to step down from the chairperson position was "to devote more time to his family and business. We thank Dave Marx for his leadership and his time at the helm of this amazing event," said organizers.

In addition to Marx's departure, the group cited another reason for the event's cancellation: The MouseFest event itself has grown so large that the "type of commitment [for an event chairperson] goes above and beyond that which can be expected from a volunteer." Given the fact that MouseFest has operated with a very small budget and through the work of many volunteers, there isn't money to hire a professional event planner. As a result, organizers came to a shocking decision.

"We have determined that MouseFest must go on hiatus for the year 2009 while we consider the long-term future of the event," said organizers in the news release.

According to the release, MouseFan Travel will continue to hold the cruise portion of the 2009 event, though it will no longer carry the "MouseFest" name.

Only time will tell if some informal meets (again not carrying the MouseFest name) by other Disney fan groups will be planned for the same time period that the 2009 event was to be held (usually in early December).

My take: I had the pleasure of attending the 2008 MouseFest. I can only hope that this is a one-year break. MouseFest was a wonderful event, and yes, it was huge, so I can see why the organizers felt the need to take a step back and re-evaluate the event and try to wrap their arms around this growing gorillia of an event. I wish each an every one of the committee members the best of luck. You have the support of the DisneyDaddy. We thank you so much for all you have done for the past five years. I hope MouseFest will return for 2010.

More Information:
Read the entire news release here