The Wizard of Oz – Journey to Imagination

Tag: The Wizard of Oz

A Touch of Whimsy in Wausaukee, Wisconsin

Posted on October 15, 2019October 16, 2019 by Laura

I lived in Wisconsin for 39 years before I heard about this gem up north. Northern Wisconsin to me is farmlands, woods, lakes, and rivers. Cabins and cottages. Nature and wildlife. Devil’s lake, Door County, and Paul Bunyan’s Cook Shanty in Minocqua. Interspersed with touristy places like the Dells and...Read More

My Journey to Oz & Kansas—Part 5: Why so much Oz?

Posted on September 9, 2019May 9, 2020 by Laura

Why are so many people captivated by the world of Oz? I wrote about the impact of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz earlier. Children were charmed by the Land of Oz decades before the MGM movie came along. The film heightened the intrigue---for children and adults alike. If...Read More

My Journey to Oz & Kansas—Part 4: The Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas

Posted on August 26, 2019August 26, 2019 by Laura

Anticipating a road trip to Kansas while bombarded with weather reports about tornadoes is disconcerting. Especially when you’re planning to visit the Oz Museum. Yup, that’s how it was in May. Every morning the week before my trip, I turned on the news to more flooding and tornadoes across Oklahoma,...Read More

My Journey to Oz & Kansas—Part 3: The International Wizard of Oz Club

Posted on August 19, 2019August 19, 2019 by Laura

When I casually mention The International Wizard of Oz Club (IWOC) to the average person, I get a range of responses, but most fall into these two categories: giggles and astonishment. Most folks don’t know about all the dedicated Oz fans out there. Most folks never heard of the scholarly...Read More

My Journey to Oz & Kansas—Part 2: Meet Jane

Posted on August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 by Laura

Today---August 12---is the 80th anniversary of MGM’s 1939 The Wizard of Oz premiere. A big day in the world of Oz fans. Including Jane Albright, president of the International Wizard of Oz Club. After Jane read my blog posts about L. Frank Baum and my visit to the All Things...Read More

My Journey to Oz & Kansas—Part 1: The Real Dorothy

Posted on August 5, 2019September 3, 2019 by Laura

August 2019 is the 80th anniversary of the MGM movie premiere of The Wizard of Oz in 1939. Little known fact---about a half hour from my house in Wisconsin, the movie premiered in the tiny town of Oconomowoc on August 12, 1939, three days before Hollywood’s Graumann Theater showing. Oconomowoc...Read More

We’re off to See the Wizard, Part 4: The Man Behind the Curtain, continued

Posted on October 22, 2018February 20, 2019 by Laura

Do you recall the resume in my last post? We left off with L. Frank Baum leaving Aberdeen--broke, disappointed, and disillusioned---with a wife and four kids to feed. Chicago---The Lean Years and New Beginnings (1890s) The Baums arrived in Chicago in time for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, a time of...Read More

We’re off to See the Wizard, Part 3: The Man Behind the Curtain

Posted on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 by Laura

Would you hire this guy? So....is this guy a wizard or a humbug? Would you hire him? I suppose it depends on what you need. And how you measure success. The thing that L. Frank Baum is best known for---writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz---didn’t occur until he was 44...Read More