Neverland Closed 'til after LA Memorial

Los Olivos (myFOXla.com) - Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos in Santa Barbara County will be closed to the media and not have any events until after Michael Jackson's memorial tribute event Tuesday morning at Staples Center.

Like an old Western boomtown, the funky little makeshift village that sprang up around the gates of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch was vanishing Friday, its residents and vendors packing up tents, tarps and piles of Jackson posters and CDs.

The number of TV trucks partially blocking the narrow country road leading to Jackson's estate dwindled, and there were no more tents. Many Jackson fans were gone, replaced by curious tourists spending the holiday weekend in nearby scenic towns.

You can watch Bob Decastro's report in the video player.

Rumors of a daylong celebration of Jackson's life, supposedly scheduled to take place just down the road at Ted Chamberlin's Los Portreros Ranch, turned out to be just that -- rumors.

"The first I heard about it was when the sheriff called up complaining," an obviously annoyed Chamberlin said Friday.

The veteran rancher said he had volunteered at one point to provide shuttle buses and parking on his ranch, which abuts Neverland, if there had been a huge public memorial for Jackson in the area. That, he said, resulted in someone printing and distributing handbills announcing a huge, daylong celebration.

"They didn't tell me a ... thing about it," he said.

A steady stream of Fourth of July weekenders drove up to the estate and stopped to take pictures. Some added their names to memorial poster boards. A Jackson impersonator with a white glove and shiny jacket danced for onlookers.

A public relations firm for Colony Capital LLC, investors who took control of Neverland in a venture with Jackson after he nearly lost the estate to foreclosure, issued a statement saying that in deference to the pop star and his family no events would occur at Neverland until after a public memorial service next week in Los Angeles.

"This will enable all of us, including his fans and family, to focus on the Tuesday celebration of Michael's life at the Staples Center in Los Angeles," the statement said.

With the party over, several of those peddling T-shirts, bottled water and flowers said they would be off to Los Angeles by the end of the day.

"We'll be there all week," said Christopher A. Vincent, as he set up shop down the road from Neverland one last time on Friday. "We want to help people remember Michael Jackson."

Others were simply heading home.

"We've got to get back to work," said Jason Osborne of Santa Maria, who had designed shirts with a friend that contained an image of Jackson and the words, "I Paid My Respects at Neverland."