AUTHOR’S NOTE: This event has turned into an expo and is no longer listed as a festival.
This post documents my experience on September 23, 2017.
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Across the pond in Longwood Park…
…a vendor booth landed on a witch’s sister…
…and, boy, was the witch mad!
Fortunately, that didn’t stop any festival goers from coming and enjoying…
…the first Ohio Wizard of Oz Festival.
As organ grinder music filled the air…
…festival goers shopped among booths with clothing and crafts…
…eventually noticing that Karen Kutoloski‘s booth of art became the “Ruby Slipper Gallery”…
…that there was a rep for Ohio State Waterproofing dressed up like Dorothy…
…and even that the local political booth raffled Wizard of Oz themed gift baskets (Rita Darrow).
In fact, festival goers quickly realized that there were many Wizard of Oz-themed booths…
…selling a slew of themed merchandise…
…made up of Oz witch hats (Merinda Mae)…
…puzzles and decoration…
…Oz candies and Potato Heads (All Things of Oz Museum)…
…an International Wizard of Oz Club membership…
…various trinkets and games…
…and even full-on Wizard of Oz character costumes.
These last items were important because many visitors attended in full costume…
…from the young…
…to the young at heart.
And there were official festival characters walking about for photo opportunities…
…who occasionally led festival goers to Emerald City…
…where they could wait in line…
…for a free photo with the entire cast…
…(there was also an additional photo op with a cardboard Dorothy).
While BBQ was the main meal option (Redbeard’s Family BBQ/JB’s Smokin’ Barbeque)…
…and pork rinds and kettle corn made for a decadent snack…
…cotton candy and coffee helped maintain the energy necessary for various activities (City Roastery)…
…that included Wizard of Oz painting classes (Artist at Heart)…
…puppet shows (Stevens Puppets)…
…various children’s games…
…and a Munchkinland area for children’s arts and crafts.