So, once more Amanda and I found ourselves on our yearly pilgrimage to the Illinois Oz Festive in Mapleton, Illinois, although we were unable to attend last year due to Amanda having the flu. Nonetheless, we were looking forward to this year's festival, especially sionce the weather was looking incredible.We were not disappointed as the skies were clear, temps in the mid-70's and a light breeze, which did pick up later in the day.
We knew as soon as we arrived that we had made it to Oz.
The opening ceremonies were very well attended.
And it would seem that the Spirit of Oz characters were have a wonderful time.
Afterwards, Amanda and I set up for a day of books, authors and Oz... oh my!
Before all the fun could begin, I made a walk around the grounds to check out the Land of Oz. There were plenty of Wizard of Oz vendors...
... as well as other vendors.
In addition, there were bounce houses, including the biggest ear of corn I've ever seen.
As well as a petting zoo, which was very popular.
There were also plenty of food vendors to serve a wide variety of tastes.
And then there's the park itself.
For those of you who have never attended this Oz festival, you're missing the most amazing Land of Oz park I've seen anywhere. The town of Mapleton actually built a Yellow Brick Road/Land of Oz/Gale Farm House park in Butler Haynes Park... and it's quite amazing and a perfect backdrop for a Wizard of Oz festival.
There's the Gale farm...
and Professor Marvel's wagon.
Then it's a quick hop over, (or in this case) under the rainbow.
Then the entrance into Munchkin City and a lovely spot where you can "follow the yellow brick road..."
... and into the Lollipop League's headquarters.
Soon, a grove of apple trees appear...
... and then it's off along the yellow brick road.
There were loads of children's activities along the way, including a scavenger hunt.
...And of course, an occasional Tin Man or Cowardly Lion to chat with.
What's this? A dark path off the road of yellow brick? I wonder where it leads to?
Looks like a wicked place to me.
Well, whad'ya know... It's the Castle of the Wicked Witch of the West.
After a quick tour of the castle, I decided to make haste back to the Yellow Brick Road.
Oh joy! It's the Emerald City. "You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night..."
Whew! What an adventure that was! Now, it's back to books and the lovely wife. The rest of the day was spent introducing folks to our very kid-friendly vision of Oz. Book sales were good and we got to see lots of folks dressed up for the costume contests throughout the day.
Looks like adults enjoy dressing up in Oz costumes as much as the kids. I do believe the future is looking very bright.
During the day, Stephan's Puppets, hosted by Mack Raynor, performed a classic marionette version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Kids were just rapt with attention.
This was from the first show, but by the second show, the floor and the bleachers were just packed and I couldn't get anywhere near enough to get a picture. This show is always the highlight of every Oz festival I've seen them perform at. I'm convinced kids need more entertainment like this. Notice there are no kids looking at phones during the show. It's that good! Mack, the puppeteer is always somewhat zany, just like his predecessor Bob Walls from years ago. I guess puppets do that to a person. Every time I see this show, all I can think of is..."Thunderbirds Are Go!!!" Those of you my age or older get that joke.
By the end of the day, we were exhausted, but had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We got one very nice group photo of the Spirit of Oz Troupe at the gates of Emerald City...
Before I finish this post, I wanna thank Jim Robertson of Butler Haynes Park District for allowing Amanda and I to be the festival's Guest Authors for all these years. His support has been very uplifting for us and we are most grateful. I also wanna thank all the volunteers for their tireless efforts, especially those in what I have deemed "The Gang of Goons".
These folks are the backbone of a very successful festival, year after year. Amanda and I send our love to you and all at the festival for all you do. Without your efforts, we would not have done anywhere near as well as we have all these years in attendance. Per ardua ad alta!
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