{"id":513,"date":"2024-05-14T21:42:47","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T21:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/?p=513"},"modified":"2024-05-14T22:22:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T22:22:33","slug":"l-frank-ly-my-dear-we-will-give-a-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/05\/14\/l-frank-ly-my-dear-we-will-give-a-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cL. Frank-ly, My Dear, We WILL Give a Fest!\u201d<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by John Fricke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Above: This line drawing of Dorothy Gale \u2013 as created by W. W. Denslow for the first edition of L. Frank Baum\u2019s THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (1900) \u2013 welcomes you to the longest-running, most widely-attended, and (arguably) most jubilant annual event of its kind: OZ-STRAVAGANZA! The picture\u2019s been doctored up a bit for its use here, but read on below, and you\u2019ll find out why.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Given the paraphrased title of this month\u2019s blog, may I remind you that this year marks the 85th<\/sup> anniversary of THAT film, too . . . . 😊<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there\u2019ll be no further homage to GONE WITH THE WIND! We\u2019re all about ALL THINGS OZ, and we\u2019re here to herald and celebrate both the 85th<\/sup> anniversary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer\u2019s THE WIZARD OF OZ movie, as well as the forty-seventh annual OZ-STRAVAGANZA! festival in author L. Frank Baum\u2019s birthplace.  Or to put it more simply, The Place To Be from Friday afternoon, May 31st<\/sup> through Sunday afternoon, June 2nd<\/sup> is Chittenango, NY. (Turn right at Syracuse. 😊 )<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our efforts to combine Baum OZ and MGM OZ, we\u2019ve seen to it that the vintage Dorothy above has momentarily switched out the silver shoes of the first Oz book for the later ruby slippers of \u201cthat film.\u201d But there\u2019s much more that you need to know, so on with the show \u2013 and \u201cHey, leader, strike up the band!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what do you want to hear? There are numerous commemorative choices, as referenced in the series of forty \u201cofficial\u201d Oz Books. (Baum himself wrote the first fourteen of those, and six other authors carried on after his passing.) Anyway, what\u2019ll it be? You can select \u201cThe Oz Spangled Banner,\u201d \u201cOz and Ozma Forever,\u201d \u201cWhat is Oz Without Ozma?,\u201d \u201cThe Grand March of Oz,\u201d \u201cThe Land of Oz Forever,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ll Sing a Song of Ozland.\u201d  Or maybe you\u2019ll opt for such Hollywood and Broadway compositions as \u201cThe Merry Old Land of Oz,\u201d \u201cThe Rainbow Road to Oz,\u201d \u201cFollow the Yellow Brick Road\u201d\/\u201cWe\u2019re Off to See the Wizard,\u201d \u201cEase On Down the Road,\u201d or the incomparable \u201cOver the Rainbow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I reference all of these, as it seems there ought to be bells, whistles, sirens, and a whole lot of music to honor America\u2019s Own Fairyland \u2013 especially when one considers its world-widespread popularity and fame. Beyond the Judy Garland WIZARD OF OZ movie and the Oz books, Baum\u2019s characters, countries, and stories have inspired such additional entertainments as THE WIZ (right now and once again on Broadway), WICKED (now in its twenty-first consecutive year on Broadway \u2013 and soon to be seen in a multi-million dollar, two-film screen adaptation; part one opens at Thanksgiving), OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, RETURN TO OZ, JOURNEY BACK TO OZ . . . and on and on to new books, new products, cartoons, TV programs, and diverse events and merchandise of all types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there\u2019s \u2013 to return once more and however gently to the \u201ccommercial\u201d \u2013 OZ-STRAVAGANZA! You can see examples of (and history about) all the projects referenced above at Chittenango\u2019s ALL THINGS OZ Museum, open for special hours across the three days of the festival:<\/p>\n\n\n

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The wealth of emerald green and Munchkin magic actually permeates the whole town during OZ-STRAV! weekend. There\u2019s a real Yellow Brick Road bordering Genesee Street. There\u2019s the 2 p.m. parade on Saturday. There\u2019s the cOZtume contest and the writing contest. In centrally located Oz Park, there\u2019ll be rides and vendors and food and crafts and Oz memorabilia and three special silent auctions (one on each day). There\u2019s free live music and entertainment across all three days \u2013 and (ditto!) free meet-and-greet (and-pose-and-snap) moments with some of the most recognizable characters in history. They\u2019re shown here with Shawn Ryan \u2013 kneeling left, in the hat — who designed their costumes, and Jeffrey Lane Sadecky, their convivial and consummate wrangler:<\/p>\n\n\n

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And for the Ozians, Ozites, Ozzys, Ozmites, collectors, historians, fans, entertainment seekers, and the just plain pop-culture-curious, there\u2019s the free Celebrity Tent, where the OZ-STRAV! special guests will hold forth for autographs and pictures every afternoon. Additionally, and free-of-charge, they\u2019ll also be part of special interviews and presentations on Friday and Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, immediately adjacent to Oz Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, it\u2019s a pleasure to outline here the dazzling line-up of Oz luminaries. We have two guests who will specifically acclaim THE WIZARD OF OZ movie, which first premiered eighty-five years ago this summer. One is the preeminent book editor, packager, and writer Jane Lahr \u2013 and if her last name sounds familiar . . .  it should! She\u2019s the daughter of the movie\u2019s one-and-only Cowardly Lion, the unforgettable Bert Lahr himself:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jane\u2019s recollections of her incomparable father have to be heard to be fully experienced \u2013 and the same may be said about Robert Welch, who comes with memories and multiple visual examples of the OZ work of his grandfather, A. Arnold \u201cBuddy\u201d Gillespie. Buddy was, for decades, the genius (and there\u2019s no other word for it) behind the MGM special effects department, and he and his coworkers created all the magic of Oz for the screen \u2013 long before there was CGI or AI or anything else other than makin\u2019-it-up-out-of-imagination-and trial-and-error-and-actual-physical-properties:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to know about the full-size monkeys? the miniature rubber monkeys? the thirty-five-foot-long tornado? Robert will tell all about these accomplishments (and more!) in his very first appearance at an Oz Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Jane and Robert are just the beginning. Gracing the Celebrity Tent and stage with them is Gita Dorothy Morena, great-granddaughter of L. Frank Baum — THE WIZARD OF OZ author himself. Her family reminiscences and insights are drawn from her own revered career as an author, lecturer, and psychoanalyst:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Another first-time visitor to Chittenango is the supreme artist, Irma Starr, whose achievement in ceramic art, commemorative plates, decorative ornaments, jewelry, and figurines is renowned.  Irma has been commissioned to \u201ccreate\u201d for private collectors, corporations, the White House, and the Smithsonian Institute; the fact that her work includes Oz imaging makes her an ideal OZ-Stravaganza! guest:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Returning after a few years\u2019 absence (and MOST welcome) is Broadway songwriter, arranger, and orchestrator Steve Margoshes. (Some of his work is presently being heard on the Great White Way in this season\u2019s revival of THE WHO\u2019S TOMMY.) For the past decade, Steve has been composing and assembling an original \u201cOz Song Cycle,\u201d drawn from the fabled books and combining his own inspired gifts with their fantasy, whimsy, joy, and philosophies. He\u2019ll debut and reprise some of this work for program attendees.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Finally, we two resident hambones (I say this affectionately about him and honestly about me) will be on-hand as well! Gabriel Gale is the conceptualizer of the AGES OF OZ novels for middle-school students (and children of all ages), as well as the wondrous talent behind the beautiful THE ART OF OZ coffee-table book. The latter, published three years ago, showcases his own inventive, exciting portraits of citizens of Baum\u2019s Oz and \u201cBorderland of Oz\u201d titles. (Additionally, THE ART OF OZ juxtaposes the Gale drawings with those by Denslow and John R. Neill from the original editions of Baum\u2019s work.) Gratefully and proudly, I\u2019ll add that I was selected to write the text for Gabe\u2019s book, adding that title to the seven others I\u2019ve been privileged to do about the OZ movie, Judy Garland, and the greater Oz franchise in the past thirty-five years:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In addition to comments about our current projects \u2013 separately and together \u2013 I can tell you that Gabe has just returned from Hollywood and will also share advance and special news about the forthcoming WICKED movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Please note: Once again, the Friday and Saturday presentations begin at 6 p.m. On Friday, the rundown includes Gita Dorothy Morena and Robert Welch; on Saturday, the speakers will be Steve Margoshes, Gabriel Gale, and Jane Lahr. I\u2019ll be the master-of-ceremonies and sometime interviewer on both occasions.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And \u2013 believe it or not! \u2013 the 1,300+ words through which you\u2019ve just read offer only the lightest touch of the hours and hours of magic and fun awaiting every generation at OZ-Stravaganza! The Celebrity Tent will also boast the presence of other writers, illustrators, and creators who carry on the legends, myths \u2013 and realities! \u2013 discovered by Baum and his associates. This year, we welcome:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Also, for the first time this year, Stickles Park \u2013 at the head of Chittenango\u2019s Saturday parade route \u2013 will open at 10 a.m. that day with diverse food treats, special entertainment, and costumed characters on hand. It\u2019s the perfect way to launch \u201ca day in Oz\u201d!<\/p>\n\n\n

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I reiterate — with no sense of exaggeration but with hopefully pardonable exhilaration \u2013 that if you\u2019re seeking \u201cThe Land of Oz\u201d from May 31st<\/sup> \u2013 June 2nd<\/sup>, we\u2019ll have it for you in Chittenango, NY. As ever, we anticipate the pleasure and exhilaration of YOUR company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many thanks for reading \u2013 and as I can\u2019t possibly do justice to all of it here, please check www.oz-stravaganza.com<\/a> for the complete OZ-Stravaganza! schedule!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gratefully and happily, as ever,
John<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by John Fricke Given the paraphrased title of this month\u2019s blog, may I remind you that this year marks the 85th anniversary of THAT film, too . . . . 😊 However, there\u2019ll be no further homage to GONE WITH THE WIND! We\u2019re all about ALL THINGS OZ, and we\u2019re here to herald and celebrate … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “\u201cL. Frank-ly, My Dear, We WILL Give a Fest!\u201d<\/strong>“<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,21,2],"tags":[12,13,6,11,4],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=513"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":531,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513\/revisions\/531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsoz.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}