"We're off to see the Wizard!" ~ Dorothy Gale and Friends in the Wizard of Oz
Welcome to Day 3 of my Dream Destinations Week! So far, I have set my sights on Graceland in Memphis, TN and the annual Svensk Hyllningsfest in Lindsborg, KS. And it is beginning to look like fall for the Trendy Travelers is going to be busy with trips to Kansas as, Oztoberfest is coming to Wamego, Kansas at the end of September and who wants to miss that?
The Wizard of Oz has a special place in my heart. When I was younger, I tried to do as my parents told me and expected of me, but some temptations were far too great for me to overcome. My mother had some rules that I was not too anxious to break. If I overstepped the boundaries I am sure there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth...mainly mine.
But, still, there was that one line I was dying to cross! It beckoned to me every day. Every. Single. Day.
It started innocently enough. Usually in summer. You know how it was. I was a latchkey kid; home alone all day long in the summer. By myself. Left to my own devices. A child giving into that one big temptation. I didn't mean for it to happen. There were those "gateway" sins that came first.
Like.....the Monkees. They were on at noon every day. And I watched. No harm, no foul. Later, in the day when I was older, I watched All My Children. Still no issue. Yet, I was flirting closer and closer to disaster every day I turned on the TV. Each day, turning on the set a little earlier. Each day dancing closer to the line of no return. And then....one day....I did it. I turned on the TV at 10 in the morning and watched....
THE BRADY BUNCH!!!
The Bradys were contraband in my house. My mother had no issue with Gilligan, the Monkees, Bewitched and the rest of the re-run crowd....but the Bradys were completely off limits! And I have to admit....they never helped my cause. My mother hated the way Mike and Carol never had to actually discipline the kids. (Secretly, I think it had nothing to do with the kids, I think my mom was jealous that Carol had a full time housekeeper). I hated how the kids totally repented and obeyed after one small reprimand of, "Now Marsha." "Now Greg." But, still....it was just a TV show. When I started watching what had always been restricted to me, I began to see that the Brady Bunch was really no big deal. It actually wasn't even that great of a show. I began to wonder about all those other shows that were forbidden to me. Maybe they weren't so bad/good either.
Don't get me wrong though. My Mom loves movies. Albeit, not the ones I would have liked as a child. My mom was so excited to share her favorite movie with me when I was six. My first movie with an intermission! Just like in the fancy movies!!! You know why movies have intermissions? Because they keep you from breaking out in hysterics from boredom. The movie my mom took me to? Gone with the Wind. Which I now can appreciate as 3 hours of cinematic masterpiece....but at six years old, was the most terrible form of torture I could imagine. I didn't even get popcorn!!!!! I was hardly old enough to know what Viet Nam was, let alone a war that occurred over a hundred years before!!! Watching this movie, by the way, subjected me to more cruel and unusual punishment, like Joan Baez music. For days after we saw Gone with the Wind, my mother would play The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down on her Joan Baez album over and over and over and over again...ad nauseum. I still break out in a cold sweat when I hear that song.
So, as you can see, I was quite neglected limited in what I was allowed for my viewing pleasure. While other little girls were curling their hair in sponge rollers and entering Shirley Temple look-alike contests (which, by the way, Cindy Brady did in an episode of the Brady Bunch), I was reenacting Scarlett's big scene before the much needed intermission...."As God as my witness, I will never be hungry again!" (complete with realistic retching sounds). While other girls were auditioning in their drama classes with Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I was stuck leading Joan Baez sing-alongs!
There was actually a whole slew of entertainment that I was not allowed to watch. But, the biggest Hollywood taboo in my childhood home was The Wizard of OZ. My mother HATES The Wizard of Oz, but my father could not wait to share with me and is now one of my favorite movies. When I was a kid, the Wizard was only on TV once a year during Spring Break. I was always thankful for the times when it was my Dad's turn to have me during that holiday, so I could watch Dorothy and her friends get over on that icky, green witch. Something my mom would never allow.
So, the Wizard became this secret rebellion. Though it was rebellion born out of a fantastic story, incredible music and father-daughter bonding. It is easy to see why I love that movie for so many reasons. So, while driving through Kansas, you can also see how I get so excited when the Oz billboards start popping up on the side of the freeway near Wamego. Well, I am hoping soon, this will be a Dream Come True Destination!
Wamego has built a livelihood on the Emerald City and its residences. Much of the town revolves around L.Frank Baum's classic-come-to-life. From festivals to drinks, to menus and museums, every aspect of Oz seems to be alive and well in Wamego.
The foundational pillar of Ozness in Wamego has to be the Oz Museum. According to their website, the museum houses over 2,000 "artifacts" dating back to the book's publishing date of 1900. The museum houses memorabilia from the 1939 musical starring Judy Garland, as well as items from the 1925 silent film of the same name starring Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodman (who knew?!). Also available for observation are items from the Diana Ross/Michael Jackson/Bill Cosby movie, The Wiz. All Oz bases seem to be covered in the Wamego museum.
After visiting the museum, if you are still trying to forget you are in Kansas...and I have been there, it is a favorite pastime....you can ease on down, ease on down the road to Toto's Tacoz. Here, you can enjoy all kinds of Fresh-Mex food from a Tin Man Black Bean Burrito, to Munchkin Tacos to a Yellow Brick Burro'd (I am NOT asking if that is a description of the meat used in this dish). The restaurant offers indoor patio seating, perhaps to avoid tornadoes coming through outdoor patios....? And also Oz murals to enjoy as you eat.
But, the reason I want to go in the fall is because at the end of September, Wamego, Kansas hosts Oztoberfest! Last year, this event included several dinner theater productions of The Wizard of Oz, a silent auction to benefit the Oz Museum, with items such as a limited edition Oz lamp, special edition DVD sets, signed Ruby Slippers license plates and gift bags signed by special Oz guests. One of those guests was probably Margaret Pellegrini, who is one of three surviving Munchkins. According to the Oztoberfest website, she has a great relationship with the Oz community in Wamego and attends this event as health allows. Wow! A visit with a real, live Munchkin! She would be awesome for my Munchkyuens to meet...because I am a nicer mom than my own when it comes to movies...I love the Wizard of Oz! And so do my kids! But I digress. Also available for visitors to Oztoberfest is a 10K Ruby Slipper Run (though, I was disappointed to find out this is just the name of the race and not the required running shoe option), a street fair, a two mile Scarecrow Fun Run, a Yellow Brick Road Bike Ride, a Munchkinland Kid's Play Area and much, much more! They also have a Sip-and-Stroll for those over 21, with wine and beer tastings...represented by many wineries and breweries, EXCEPT the Oz Winery. Which is sad, because it would just be fun to see the bottles from Oz Winery. They have wines called Ding Dong, the Wine is Red, Witch Gone Good, Wine of a Different Color and myriad of other labels. The pictures on the labels are worth having that vendor around!
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| Last year's Silent Auction Special at Oztoberfest. Who wouldn't want THAT conversation piece in their living room? |
As you can see, Wamego is completely committed to being Oz. And helping you enjoy your journey there, as well. After poking around Wamego's website, you can see why they call themselves "Small Town - BIG Experience". They remind you to stay in Wamego when visiting because they have over 90 ROOMS available. One of which, Kahuna and I hope to secure with our Munchkyuens in an upcoming autumn.
Until then, I
Gotta Mosey!
