Over the rainbow -- photo by Pat Bean
Travels With Maggie
“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.” Lyman Frank Baum
Dorothy's red slippers
When I drove through Kansas, it felt like one big corn field. The rich, green stalks actually did look “as high as an elephant’s eye,” as Curly sang in “Oklahoma.” Occasionally, however, the corn would give way to other sights, one being the Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas.
Located on Highway 99 (also known as the Road to Oz) 40 miles west of Topeka, the small and quaint museum is dedicated to all things Oz. There was no way I was going to pass it by without stopping.
I wonder if Scarecrow is standing in a Kansas corn field. -- Photo by Pat Bean
In addition to the Oz memorabilia and exhibits, admittedly some quite cheesy, the museum features a theater where one can see the original Oz starting Judy Garland, along with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson’s “Wiz” version.
Since I love corn, I found the museum a pleasant way to wile away a couple of hours. The experience would go better, I think, with a kid or two in tow – but then I’m enough of a kid at heart that it didn’t matter.
On my way out, I bought a yellow brick for my daughter’s personal “Magic Garden.” I thought she would get a kick out of the gift – the cost of which benefited the museum – and she did.
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