‘Oz’ in Indiana: A 30-year festival celebration in Chesterton

The Wizard of Oz, 1939, Starring Judy Garland

If you have a Festival – they will come, and the public has come in droves for the Wizard of Oz Festival in Chesterton, Indiana, which this year celebrates its 30^th year of connecting families and “Ozphiles” with all things Wizard of Oz on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16, 17, and 18, 2011.

Situated practically in the center of the Midwest, Chesterton, Indiana (about 50 miles south of downtown Chicago) has annually hosted this unique Festival that includes a plethora of family-friendly events, lots of celebrities and fun activities.

The three-day Festival takes place on Broadway between Calumet Road and 4^th Street in Chesterton, with kick-off festivities, the Emerald City Party in the Park, beginning Friday, Sept. 16 at 2:00 p.m. and running until 6:00 p.m. at Thomas Centennial Park, then followed by other planned evening events. 

Saturday’s Festival schedule runs from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Festival attendees will be treated to many entertaining options that include: 
Celebrities; A parade; Oz 5K race, Silent auction; Drive-in showings of the original WIZARD OF OZ feature film; A birthday party for ‘Dorothy’; "Authors in the Park"; Contests; Kids Zone that includes puppets, magic singing and characters; Autograph party with celebrities; Special American Legion event; Quilt raffle; Oz artwork; Oz books; Oz  t-shirts, and all manner of Oz memorabilia and souvenirs, and a “Brunchkin” – lunch with the Munchkins.

Celebrities who will be on-hand include: 
Festival Founder - Jean Nelson;Original Munchkins from the MGM movie –“Flower Pot Lady” - Margaret Pellegrini and “Trumpeter” - Karl Slover; Munchkins by marriage - Mary Ellen St. Aubin, and Myrna Swenson; Judy Garland’s Stand-in - Caren Marsh-Doll; L. Frank Baum’s Great Grandsons - .Robert Baum and his wife Clare, and author, Roger Baum and his wife Charlene; Emmy Award-winning Judy Garland Historian/ Author, John Fricke; Miss Indiana, Jackie Jerlecki; Judy Garland Curator, Michael Siewert; Artist, Joe Shipbaugh and noted award-winning Oz Illustrator, Rick Ewigleben, plus all the lovable “official” Oz characters.

For complete information on the Chesterton Wizard of Oz Festival, as well as local overnight accommodations, visit the event’s comprehensive online website at: http://www.ozfestivalchesterton.com/

Over the years, there have been numerous restorations and generations of MGM’s THE WIZARD OF OZ, graduating from theater, to television, to video, to DVD and finally Blu Ray, but below for your enjoyment, the original 1939 movie trailer.

Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Wizard of Oz theme oriented gifts

"Santa Holding Christmas Gift" photo by Petr Kratochvil

Earlier this month we began this series covering the Gifts of Music, followed by DVDs and videos, with more choices in both categories to follow in the coming weeks leading up to the holiday season.

Today however, we turn our attention to theme oriented gift ideas – specifically covering items based on one of the most enduring pieces of children’s classic literature, L. Frank Baum’s, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The products, which appear below have been researched for quality as well as value, and are geared to provide the children and teens in your life with many hours of positive and fun-filled entertainment.

Best pricing options available at the time of this posting are provided below, but it is suggested that (when available) you cross-compare with your favorite online as well as stick and brick retailers.

You may wish to bookmark this page to enable further explorations of the highlighted links at your leisure.

As always, you are the best judge of what is appropriate for your child’s entertainment.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Most children and adults were introduced to The Wizard of Oz through the original Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) 1939 movie, which was based on the characters created by L. Frank Baum in his series of children’s books.

Begin your journey by taking a look at the original story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which is available to read free online at RareOzBooks.com. The website also provides an excellent slide show of images from the original publication’s renderings by W.W. Denslow, as well as information about collecting and the valuation of first edition titles of these books.

The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]

Issued in March of this year was a special 70th Anniversary Edition in single disc Blue-ray format from Warner Brothers Home Video, which offers superb visual and sound quality. It is truly a collector’s edition and priced at $10.00 through Amazon.com.

There are other editions to explore if Blu-ray does not work for your household.

A video preview of the Blu-ray edition is available by clicking on the following link to the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB.)

The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Movie Classic by John Fricke, Jonathan Shirshekan

 
If your family already has a video format of The Wizard of Oz, this Barnes and Noble exclusive, The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Movie Classic by John Fricke and Jonathan Shirshekan is a must-have definitive source of all things Oz.

This handsome hardbound edition was recently reissued as a second printing because of its immense popularity and exposure at Oz festivals nationwide.

The 160 page book includes over 500 black and white stills as well as full color images with behind-the-scenes shots, an extra gatefold scene along with visuals of the film’s test costumes, artists’ sketches, posters and informational casting notes.

Author John Fricke at a recent book signing

John Fricke has authored four earlier books about Oz and its star, Judy Garland. Twice he has received an Emmy Award as co-producer /writer of Garland documentaries for the A & E Network and PBS-TV.

Jonathan Shirshekan is a preeminent Oz collector, researcher, and preservationist.

The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Movie Classic is available through Barnes and Noble at a special online holiday price of $10.98.