Kansas Pilgrimage Places for "Wizard of Oz" Fans

Two Kansas sites celebrate the movie released 60 years ago

The foodie in me has been focusing on August 15, 2009, as what would have been Julia Child's 99th birthday, but movie goers note it as the 60th anniversary of the "The Wizard of Oz." According to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz website, "The official premiere [of the movie] was at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on August 15, attended by most of the cast and crew and a number of Hollywood celebrities. Notably absent, however, was Judy Garland — she was on the East Coast with Mickey Rooney, rehearsing a vaudeville act."

The magical journey of Dorothy and her dog, Toto, to the Land of Oz began as a fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by W.W. Denslow and published in 1900. It was the bestselling children's novel for two years and was produced as stage musical shortly thereafter. Baum died in 1915, but his dream story lives on and on -- nowhere more so than in Kansas where the fictional Dorothy lived. .

Oz Museum

The Oz Museum, a storefront in downtown Wamego, Kansas, nine miles north of Interstate 70, is "dedicated to all things Oz." It lays claim to 2,000 artifacts. The collection includes original Baum books, objects from the 1939 movie and Oz-related merchandise produced over the years. There are also earlier silent films, including one with Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy fame as the Tin Man, and much later adaptations such as "The Wiz" starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. The Oz Museum (511 Lincoln, Wamego; 785-456-8686 or 866-458-TOTO) is open daily except major holidays.

Other Ozian Things to Do Nearby

Immerse yourself in Oz on the weekend of October 3-4 when Wamego celebrates Oztoberfest, a festival complete with vendors and live performances of "The Wizard of Oz" in the town's Columbian Theater. Cyclists can also take part in the Yellow Brick Road Bike Ride, which begins and ends at Wamego High School on Saturday, October 3. Choose from three routes varying from 15 to 50 miles. Fuel up on breakfast served from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. and start pedaling. Net proceeds from the ride help fund the WAM-SAG-MAN Recreational Trail between Wamego and a connection with the St. George and Manhattan Linear Trail.

I suspect that Aunt Em was a teetotaler, but these days, the Oz Winery is operating a few doors from the Oz Museum The tasting room pours samples and sells wines labeled “Witch in a Ditch,” “A Witch Gone Good,” "Lion's Courage," “Run, Toto, Run!” and even "Auntie Em's Prairie Rose." The winery is at Oz Winery 417A Lincoln Avenue, Wamego; 785-456-7417.

Dorothy's House

I think of it as dueling Dorothys. Miles and miles from Wamego in southwestern Kansas, not far from Oklahoma, is the town of Liberal, location of Dorothy's House, built in 1907, donated to the Seward County Historical Society, moved to its present location on the Coronado Museum grounds and furnished to replicate the house shown in the movie "The Wizard of Oz." Former governor John Carlin recognized the house as the official home of Dorothy Gale in 1981.

The museum now includes The Land of Oz attraction, comprising "5,000 square feet of animated entertainment - good and bad witches, the Munchkins, talking trees, winged monkeys, and of course, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto, too." Visitors can wander down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy, Auntie Em or Uncle Henry as their tour guide. The complex is at 567 East Cedar Street, Liberal; 620-624-7624.

The museum also seems to host an OzFest in mid-October, but the most recent information on the website is from 2007, so if you're interested, call to check details before heading out.