Newspaper Page Text
Hometown '
Spotlight
by LOU ANN
THOMAS
“There’s no place like home.
There's no place like home,” whispers Elizabeth
Barton of Dallas as the 4-year-old clicks the heels
of her shoes and presses her face against a display
case holding exact replicas of the ruby slippers
worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard o/Oz.
Elizabeth continues to quote lines from the 1939
film classic as she strolls, wide-eyed, with her
mother and grandmother through one of the larg
est collections of Oz artifacts in the world. The Oz
Museum in Wamego, Kan. (pop. 4,246), houses
some 2,000 items associated with the timeless
movie, its actors and the magical world created by
author L. Frank Baum.
“The museum isn't just for Oz fanatics,” says
Ellie Coots, who manages the museum’s gift shop.
"It appeals to everyone ot all ages who has ever
seen the movie. When they walk through and see
the displays, it brings back a rush of memories.”
The museum houses the private collection
donated in 2004 by Wamego native Tod Mach in,
45, who began collecting Oz-related items in the
early 1980 s. His collection now spans more than
100 years ot Oz, starting with copies of the books
by Baum on which the movie was based.
"I never set out to collect Oz mem
orabilia," says Mach in, who now lives f
in Kansas City. "But the more I
learned about Oz and the more peo
ple I met associated with the movie,
the more I wanted to know." Even
tually his collection grew a
too large tor him to keep
Replicas of props
from The Wizard of Oz.
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at home, and the museum was born.
For a group of 5- and 6-year-olds from a nearby
preschool, encountering a life-size, full-color,
costumed acrylic sculpture of Dorothy holding
her faithful pet terrier elicits a round of “ooos”
and “ahhhs.”
“Toto!" screams Jarva Chambers, 6.
“Look! It’s the Scarecrow!" says Tristan Olyncik,
5, pointing at the sculpted man of straw sitting
with pumpkins and crows in a cornfield, just
as he first appears in the movie.
The students can hardly con-
I tain their delight as they view
r displays filled with autographed
photographs, playbills, post
ers, costumes and props from
the movie, including the Wick
ed Witch’s death certificate and a
dress worn by Diana Ross in The
Wiz. the 1978 movie musical version
of the Oz story.
The museum will feature promi
nently during Wamego’s annual
OZtoberFest Oct. 20-22, a weekend
(Continued on page 8)
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