We chose to leave the Land of the Hoosiers a few days early in order to have a pleasant journey. So naturally, we hit a few wineries along the way.
Turns out Pennsylvania is second only to California with the most acreage devoted to vinyards. Who knew?
Once we hit New York State, the nickle and diming of the Toll Roads began.
The one odd feature of the Toll Roads are the Rest Stops, one of which features an elevated walkway that crosses the highway.
Of course, once we made it to the Craftsmann Inn in Fayetteville, which is near Chittenango, site of the 39th Annual Oz-Stravaganza, of which we were Guest Authors in the Authors & Artists Alley. Once we settled in, we made our way to the festival grounds and it became obvious we were no longer in Kansas.
After stopping by the local library and the All Things Oz Museum to donate a copy of our latest book, Nomes of Oz,
we then made our way to Chittenango Falls, which always gives us inspiration for our next book.
As usual, we found inspiration in the oddest of places.
The next day was Saturday and the best of the three days of the festival. We found the usual Poppy Field and set up nearby in the Authors & Artists Alley tent.
The day was spent interacting with numerous kids, parents and all manner of fans of the Wizard of Oz. Alongside us were the usual crew of suspects (Authors and/or Artists).
Vincent Myrand (Artist)
Ron Baxley, Jr. (Author)
Gwen Tennille (Artist and Author)
Tom Hutchison (Artist and Author)
Richard Mickelson
Kenneth L. Doane II
The highlight of Saturday was the parade, which Amanda participated in for the first time. I'm so proud of how well she did.
Overall, it was a great day and sales were good. Unfortunately, Sunday was a wash-out with rain all day, which required relocating the farewell ceremonies to the church basement.
John Fricke, two-time Emmy Award-winning producer/writer; a Grammy Award nominee, was the host and did so admirably. He is such a special guy and Amanda and I are proud to count him among our friends. I know of no one who loves Oz more than him. I wish the Grand Marshall of the Parade and Special Guest, Bronson Pinchot could have made, but alas... not to be.
Overall, it was a fantastic festival, despite the rain-out, which usually happens about every other year or so. Special kudos and congratulations go out to Marc Baum, Colleen Hummell Zimmer, Lynne Bunce, Mark Sample, and so many others who go far above the call of duty to ensure a successful festival. I know I've missed someone, but I hope they understand. It was a fun time and we hope to return next year.
Totus vos postulo est Amor!
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