By Laura Hand
Tuesday, June 02, 2009 at 7:36 p.m.
This is the 70th anniversary of 'The Wizard of Oz,' the classic movie and there's no lack of covering all things Oz here in Central New York.
Of course, Chittenango is the centerpiece: since 1978 there's been an Oz weekend, named 0zstravaganza this year, with a Saturday morning parade the centerpiece. 'It is the birthplace of L. Frank Baum,' says one year's event coordinator. 'He's our CEO. The village itself has much to be proud of, because of what this man did.' Of course, Chittenango now has a 'yellow brick road' and its public library is now Oz-themed as well.
The munchkins have been regular visitors here, not only to Chittenango, but also to a State Fairgrounds Oz memorabilia fest. And this summer (July 31 to August 2), we play host to the international Oz Club's 40th annual Muchkin Convention. The group will be visiting Mattydale, specifically the area where Roxboro School is now, because that's where Baum grew up. And there will also be visits to Fayetteville, home of suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage, Baum's mother-in-law, who encouraged him to write the Oz stories. Baum took pictures of the home, which are now being used for the historic restoration of the landmark.
And, the Onondaga Historical Association hosts a talk on 'Finding Oz' on Sunday, June 7 at 2pm, on the Central New York connections in Baum's development of characters and images in his book series. For information, 428-1864
