Author: Jane Albright

There was a common theme across our attendees, that hadn’t been on the program, Keeping L. Frank Baum’s Spirit Alive in the 21st Century, so we’ve made it a panel. Our concluding event Sunday, moderated by John Bell, now taps a handful our number to discuss ways they work to keep L. Frank Baum in the public eye. They certainly aren’t alone—nearly all of us promote Baum and Oz in our own way—but that would be too big a panel!  So who’s around the table? We’ll hear from these six, and wrap up with discussion as time allows: Sue Boland who’s writing articles about Baum for publication after years of volunteering and serving as a tour guide for the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation; Laura DeNooyer, who was on our 2024 program, cast a true-to-life character of L. Frank Baum in her award-winning historic fiction novel, A Hundred Magical Reasons; Chris Glasgow, Curator of the Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas who works with displays, public speaking, and public events, Otis Frampton who is producing The Patchwork Girl of Oz as a comic series for today’s kids. (Otis presentation about his work precedes this panel with just a bit of breathing room between them); Bob Lamont who has recently created new songs using Baum’s writing–you heard them Friday night; And Michael Raabe who brought Baum singing and dancing to the Florida stage in his new musical. If you were at our 2024 convention, you heard him talk about the production and perform some of the music. Moderator John Bell is well-known himself for his original Oz fiction and research work. Come expecting to be encouraged by the commitment and creativity these panelists bring to their projects. Who knows? It might even give you ideas for projects of your own….  

Join longtime Oz Club member and performer Zoe O’Haillin-Berne for a journey down Yellow Brick Roads built far beyond the pages of L. Frank Baum’s beloved books. In Off to Build the Yellow Brick Road, Zoe explores the rich and varied history of Oz-themed attractions and venues from around the world. From theme parks nestled in the mountains and along Australia’s Gold Coast to enchanting public parks and gardens, this presentation offers a fascinating look at how fans and creators have brought the Land of Oz to life in the real world. Through engaging visuals and insightful comparisons, Zoe examines how these venues differ (or don’t) in design, operation, and visitor experience—while highlighting the common thread of Oz magic that ties them all together. Drawing on her own experiences performing as both the Scarecrow and the Wicked Witch, including at the Land of Oz in North Carolina and with her traveling troupe The Spirit of Oz, Zoe shares personal reflections that add depth and heart to this colorful exploration. Whether you’re a seasoned Oz traveler or simply curious about where the Yellow Brick Road leads beyond the screen and stage, this talk promises to be both informative and enchanting. Meet Zoe Zoe O’Haillin-Berne has been a devoted member of the International Wizard of Oz Club for 25 years, having joined at the age of 10. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, she currently serves on the Club’s Board of Directors and chairs the Membership & Publicity Committee. Zoe studied Theatre and English at Ball State University and is now pursuing her Master’s degree at Harvard University. A lifelong Oz enthusiast, Zoe is the founder and Wicked Witch performer for The Spirit of Oz, a traveling troupe of Oz characters that has brought the magic of Oz to audiences across the country. She also performed as the Scarecrow at the iconic Autumn at Oz festival in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Her talk, Off to Build the Yellow Brick Road, explores the many venues where Oz lives on today—at many of which she’s had the joy of performing firsthand.  

Note: I drafted this blog in Aberdeen June 11, only to learn of Sally Wagner’s death on the drive home. I didn’t have the heart at the time to express excitement about our convention under the weight of that news. But the draft is still here, I’ve managed to absorb Sally’s death, and the convention rolls on. So I decided to go ahead and share it as a little sliver of my time planning our convention. Jane Albright here. I had a carload of Oz art to drive to Aberdeen, so booked a few nights at the Quality Inn where our rooms are reserved in July, and headed north. I was fortunate to arrive early enough Sunday evening to spend some time on the Yellow Brick Road. Expanded and improved since I was last there more than 20 years ago, it was a treat to enjoy this interactive Oz experience. And the gift shop is full of Oz! I loaded two bags. Monday morning I stopped at the hotel’s breakfast buffet (scrambled eggs and sausage) then drove to the K.O. Lee Library. I met with Cara Perrion to see our meeting space options, and spend some time gasping at treasures in the library’s L. Frank Baum Collection. Then it was off to unload. The Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center is across the street from the library in a remodeled and expanded historic high school. The campus now boasts 178,000-square-feet of office and activity space for the community. A 55×30 foot art gallery on the ground level transformed over the next few days into the Eclectic Art exhibit of original art and signed prints from my Oz collection. An area on the second floor with a stage will transform into our evening event space for Friday and Saturday nights. That evening I had a wonderful visit to Easton Castle, a private home we’ll see Saturday morning on our tour. Built as an impressive residence for the Bliss family while Baum was in Aberdeen, the exterior was later covered in yellow brick, giving it a castle-like facade. Baum mentioned the residence in the Pioneer, and particularly admired the private library on the second floor. It’s been in the Holman family since 1967. The daughters who grew up in it still live there today and have fond memories of Matilda Jewel Gage’s visits to the home. By Tuesday (cheese omelettes and ham) the gallery staff had matters there well in hand, so I was off to meet with the caterer, a local reporter and the gallery’s social media content provider. I also got a detailed tour of our evening space and crossed dozens of questions off my list. I stopped to arrange a case of books in the gallery that represent books in which art on display has been published. Later that afternoon I met with our tour guide to work on the path we’ll follow to see area sites from Baum’s day. I attempted to find a few myself later, and can only say I’m glad we’ll have a bus driver. Aberdeen numbers both streets that go north and south and streets that run east and west leaving you staring at the sign on an intersection of 2nd St. and 2nd Ave, wondering where on earth you’re supposed to go. If only the Scarecrow had been there to point me in the right direction. Wednesday (biscuits and gravy) put me on track to the Convention and Visitors bureau. The staff there is making our name tags and providing us with bags of Aberdeen literature. Except I wanted more, so stopped at the Dakota Prairie Museum and returned to both the library and Storybook Land to pick up additional fliers. With a last check-in at the gallery and call to the company to confirm our 56-passenger air conditioned bus with a PA system, it was time to head back to Kansas City.  

While recently in Aberdeen preparing for our convention, I had a wonderful visit to the fascinating Easton Castle. The original 22-room Queen Ann house was built by EA Bliss in 1889 on a hill northwest of town. He painted it green. The exterior was later clad in yellow bricks by the second owners, prompting locals to begin calling it Easton Castle.  Frank Baum visited and mentioned it in his paper, The Saturday Evening Pioneer. His character “Mrs Bilkins” described parties hosted in the big green house on the hill. If I remember correctly, Baum particularly admired the second floor library. No surprise; I saw it and gasped.  The house also was also a favorite of Matilda Jewell Gage. She could see it from her own home as a child and served as the Easton’s insurance agent as an adult. The current owners remember her fondly. Sally Roesch Wagner had a bit of a 1990 documentary about Matilda Joslyn Gage filmed there; it stood in for the Gage house in Fayetteville, NY, which Sally didn’t acquire until 2002. Surrounded by more than 20 unspoiled acres, the property is home to extensive woods and wild life. Deer grazed on the lawn during my visit. The Castle has been in the Holman family since 1967. The Holman daughters who grew up there, Margaret and Rebecca, still call it home today, and will be showing us through it Saturday, July 19. as we explore Aberdeen.  Jane Albright      

Robert Lamont, a long-time Oz Club member and professional musician and educator, initially planned to perform sets emphasizing L. Frank Baum’s published songs—and there will be plenty of those—as our Friday evening concert. Then bits of Frank’s writing that had never been set to music came to mind. And Bob began to hear music. As he put it, “They kept almost writing themselves.” As a result, “attendees are going to hear the premiere of not one, not two, not three, but a total of five ‘new’ songs by L. Frank Baum.” Of course, he told us that a bit ago, so who knows how many we might hear! He’ll also perform some well known popular Oz music in Storybook Land during the park’s annual festival. We’ll be able to hear that performance Saturday during our tour of Baum sites.

The list of items that will be offered in our fundraising auction Saturday evening will be mailed to all registered convention attendees this week. It will be a pdf, so anyone should be able to open it. Keep an eye on your in box for an email with an attachment from Bill Thompson.  We’ve never held our auction after dinner before, so this will be a first. Given that auctions aren’t allowed in the public library, and our other afternoon will be spent on a tour bus, the time to try it became now! Anyone registered for the convention is pre-registered in the auction. You’ll be able to pick up a bidder number that night.  We’ll also want to make some decisions that night. For example, a dinner table might be a challenging place to keep pieces you win (“Shall I set this on your dessert plate, or in the butter?”), so we may use the display tables to hold things instead of putting them immediately in your hands. We’ve also been offered a few donations that were not incorporated into the auction database in time. Let’s stay flexible and not rule out finding a way to make them available while we’re all together.   And lastly, payment options. The Oz Club is in between long-term auctioneers as Bill steps down after 20 years(!). Jim Rutter has graciously stepped up for this summer, but is not signing up for the long haul. One side effect is that as of this writing, we’ve not found a way to accept direct credit card payments. Cash, checks, and PayPal payments are currently our only options that night. Questions? Email OzConvention@OzClub.org.      

The Eclectic Oz exhibit was reported in Aberdeen’s local news last week. Click this link to read it. The reporter pulled it out from behind a paywall today so I could share it. Enjoy!  Jane PS Yes, Don Billie had to cancel; I hadn’t realized they were accessing information from that far back or I’d have told her.