wizard of oz

Shutterbug Saturday: Land of Oz 4.0

Posted on December 17, 2022 Updated on December 17, 2022

More from my Land of Oz photo collection. Previous posts are here, here & here. It has been over a year since I posted any of these. More to come. ~Vic

Blue Ridge Mountain Shot Image One — The Blue Ridge Mountains
as seen from the Park.
Circa: Early 1970s
Image Credit: **Emerald Mountain Realty**

Entrance Fountain Image Two — Fountain at the Entrance to the Park.
Circa: Early 1970s
Image Credit: **Emerald Mountain Realty**

Bust of Dorothy Image Three — Dorothy & Toto Sculpture
It is my understanding that this bust
is missing…stolen like other artifacts.
Image Credit: **Emerald Mountain Realty**

Yellow Brick Road Dance Image Four — Follow The Yellow Brick Road
Circa: Early 1970s
Image Credit: **Emerald Mountain Realty**

Scarecrow Image Five — Scarecrow
Circa: Middle 90s
Image Credit: **Emerald Mountain Realty**

Tin Man House Image Six — Tin Man’s House
Salvaged in the early 90s
Image Credit: **Emerald Mountain Realty**

Cowardly Lion Image Seven — Cowardly Lion
Circa: Middle 90s
I swear he looks more like Stephen King’s IT
Image Credit: **Emerald Mountain Realty**

Wizard Image Eight — You found the Wizard.
Circa: Middle 90s
Image Credit: **Emerald Mountain Realty**

This entry was posted in Art, Funny, History, Thoughts, Unusual, Weird and tagged 1970s, blue ridge parkway, bust, cowardly lion, dorothy, early 1970s, emerald mountain realty, entrance, follow the yellow brick road, foto friday, fotos, fountain, house, IT, land of oz, mountains, north carolina, scarecrow, sculpture, shutterbug, shutterbug saturday, stephen king, stolen, tin man, tin man house, toto, wizard, wizard of oz, yellow brick road.

Snapshots Sunday: Land of Oz

Posted on May 23, 2021 Updated on May 24, 2021

We're Off...Image One — Flag at the Entrance
Image is from the early 1970s
09-08-2017

In September of 2017, I paid a visit to a place I had not seen since I was about six years old…the Land of Oz. I remember bits and pieces of the trip. My parents took me in 1972 and two of my strongest memories are of riding on the balloon ride (a converted ski-lift) in a blinding mountain rainstorm and the wet ride in a bus, with no windows, down the mountain, leaving. For years, I wondered what had become of that park.

Originally opening on June 15, 1970, it was a grand place to visit and managed to stay open for a decade, even after a fire in 1975, before falling into disrepair and abandonment. Many things were stolen, vandalized or left to nature.

Appalachian State University had a cultural museum, at one time, that showcased saved pieces from the park including the yellow bricks, some munchkin houses, costumes, parts of the witch’s castle and other assorted props. All artifacts were eventually returned to the park.

In 1991, the park was included in a celebration for Independence Day for Beech Mountain. Watauga High School students dressed in costume. Emerald Mountain, Inc., purchased the property in 1994 and a slow restoration began. An “Autumn at Oz” was started as a reunion for former employees and became a yearly event. By 2010, the park drew 8,000 people.

By the 80th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz movie, 12,000 guests had come through in June of 2019. I have tons of pictures of this place, old and new and, I will be posting them over time. ~Vic