Twenty minutes east of Syracuse, a yellow brick road runs down the middle of a small village and a large Tin Man greets its visitors with a sign. In the middle of the village is a museum dedicated to, and named, All Things Oz.

Guests aren’t in Kansas, but in Chittenango, New York — the birthplace of Oz.

L. Frank Baum, the author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” was born in Chittenango and raised in Syracuse. The movie, which was adapted from the book in 1939 and is considered one of America’s classics, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

“People of the world recognize us as the birthplace of Oz — the place where it all started,” said Barbara Evans, the president of All Things Oz museum. “We have a wonderful reputation, and the recognition is wonderful.”

Evans said that the people of Chittenango are the caretakers of Oz. They are given the opportunity and responsibility to keep the tradition alive. One way they incorporate Oz into their lives is during an annual parade called Oz-Stravaganza, which celebrates the history of Baum and “The Wizard of Oz.”

Oz-Stravangaza started as a small birthday celebration for Baum within the village, made up of about 1,000 people. In 1987 Meinhardt Rabbe, who played the munchkin that confirmed the death of the Wicked Witch of the East in the movie, offered to come to the parade. Then, he brought other actors from the movie and the population of the parade skyrocketed by thousands of people — now up to 20,000 attend per year.

“Everyone wanted to see the munchkins. People just traveled from all over the world. It got really big really fast,” Evans said. “We’re the only place in the country that runs a festival that actually has Oz-y programing. We’re the only festival that lays claim to fame that L. Frank Baum was born here.”

Colleen Zimmer, a trustee of the museum, said the munchkins were always a huge hit in the parade, and one of her favorite items in the museum is a pair of costumes worn by two munchkins in the film.

“The Wizard of Oz” is more than just a movie with great music and pictures — it teaches viewers important lessons. Zimmer said that with themes of family, “there’s no place like home” and courage, it’s a movie that will stick around forever.

“It’s something that five generations could sit down and watch,” Zimmer said. “There are so few things that you can take with every generation and they each enjoy it and all get something very rewarding out of it.”

Robert Thompson, the director of the Bleier Center for Television & Popular Culture and a Syracuse University television, radio and film professor, said that the emergence of television is the reason the film was passed down through generations. Because “The Wizard of Oz” was played each year on television, watching it became an annual event in the homes of millions of Americans.

One thing that stood out to Thompson in the movie was the land of Oz. He said that for the limitations of creating a movie in the ‘30s, this fantasyland was impressive considering the budget the directors had. It was the imaginative cinematography paired with the innocent storyline that pulled in views, and still pull in viewers today.

“The same kids no matter what gender you are or what your upbringing was — every kid at some time felt that they were living under they stairway, like Harry Potter, or living out in the middle of nowhere where life is boring, like Dorothy,” Thompson said. “They related to the movie.”

Thompson said when he watches the movie now, he sees the cracks in the narrative, but as a kid, he could relate to returning home after a big adventure. He remembered watching the movie with his family, and said that since “The Wizard of Oz” has made it past the first 75 years and is still popular, it’s here to stay.

And with the town of Chittenango keeping the spirit of Oz alive, Baum’s story will carry on, as his own family line is creating its own Oz stories, Evans said.

Said Evans: “We’re labeled caretakers of the Oz realm and we take that job very seriously. But we never lose sight that the man who created Oz was born here right in Chittenango.”

Published on October 21, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Jackie: jmfrere@syr.edu | @jackie_frere