The stone is all of U.S. origin, Aalto said. The two-inch thick pieces in four muted earth colors came from a quarry in South Dakota. The stone and its thickness were dictated by the traffic volume the design will have to withstand for years under all weather conditions.

Working in concert with Creative Edge has been Whitney Monument Works that did all the sandblasting of individual tiles incorporated into the design.

The design depicts Sleeping Beauty's castle with the wording "Magic Kingdom" in a flowing banner below. Around the design cut by water-jet technology, and filling out the 37-foot diameter of the medallion, are 750 octagonal tiles, 100 of them plain gray, and 650 of them with names and addresses sandblasted into the stone by Whitney Monument. The lettering then was filled in with black paint.

The names are select, Aalto said. "I don't know exactly how they were chosen, but the names of Disney executives and Disneyworld personnel are there."

Tiles were symbolically purchased by designees for $150, which doesn't begin to cover cost, Aalto said.

It took double shifts and four cutting machines at Creative Edge to meet the tight timetable. By now, the new entrance to Disneyworld is in Orlando. "It's a miracle," Aalto said.■

Creative Edge Corp. shipped out one of its biggest granite design projects in its history this week. The huge medallion - 37 feet in diameter - will be installed at the main entrance to Disneyworld in Orlando, Fla.

Company president Jim Belilove wouldn't reveal the contract price, but he did say that "it's a big contract for a company our size."

It also is considered representative of a move to diversification for Whitney Monument Works that shared in the project.

Disney Corp. representatives were in Fairfield Friday to check on the finished product. It had to meet corporate expectations before top Disney executives would walk over it after installation at the Disney entrance in Orlando.

The project not only was big for Creative Edge, but it also was the most accelerated. The company had 10 production days between the contract agreement and the time the medallion was to be finished. Harri Aalto, company artist at Creative Edge, said Disney wanted everything in place when the top executives and their guests would be at Disneyworld later this month.

Belilove said basic installation is to be completed by Feb. 20. Installation will be by an Iowa contractor, Rheinschmidt Contracting of Burlington.

The concrete walkway at the entrance to Disneyworld is to be chipped away to make room for the medallion, over which hundreds of thousands of visitors will walk as they enter the vast Disney complex.