PORT ANGELES — Lila Frisch knows how to celebrate her birthday, and she knows whom to have at her party.
Frisch just marked her 85th with her “twin,” Mickey Mouse, another who came into the world Nov. 18, 1928.
The festivities were at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., with Frisch and her friends Kelly, Elizabeth and Adam Watkins, all of Port Angeles, in attendance.
“Lila is an incredible traveler,” said Kelly Watkins, Frisch’s neighbor for 15 years now.
Disney World trip
The Port Angeles octogenarian invited Watkins and her daughter Elizabeth, 14, and son Adam, 11, on a five-day trip to Disney World, Kennedy Space Center and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge last week.
Watkins had been to a Disney park before, but her kids hadn’t.
They all got to party with Mickey Mouse, while Disney park workers showered Frisch with gifts, including the traditional Mickey Mouse ears.
“Lila makes friends wherever she goes,” Adam observed.
Frisch could not be reached for comment Wednesday; she may have been out preparing for Thanksgiving. Frisch has four grown children as well as grandchildren who live outside the area, Watkins said.
As for Mickey Mouse, his first cartoon shown to the public was “Steamboat Willie,” debuted at the Colony Theatre in New York City on Nov. 18, 1928.
It was the first cartoon to have successfully synchronized sound and the first of 120 cartoons starring the man-sized mouse.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
