Posted on May 2, 2023
No place like home? The Wizard of Oz still shapes the world’s view of Kansas for better and worse...
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The Wizard of Oz and Kansas have been inseparable since farm girl Dorothy Gale first skipped down the yellow brick road. But having an enduring image from the Dust Bowl 1930s might also hold Kansas back from what it wants to be today.
LIBERAL, Kansas — Kansans know the joke. Almost too well.
“Someone hears you’re from Kansas … and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re not in Kansas anymore,’” Nathan Dowell said. “If I had a nickel for every time I heard that.”
But he doesn’t mind too much. After all, he’s the museum director for two ““Wizard of Oz”-themed attractions in his hometown of Liberal: Dorothy’s House and the Land of Oz.
LIBERAL, Kansas — Kansans know the joke. Almost too well.
“Someone hears you’re from Kansas … and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re not in Kansas anymore,’” Nathan Dowell said. “If I had a nickel for every time I heard that.”
But he doesn’t mind too much. After all, he’s the museum director for two ““Wizard of Oz”-themed attractions in his hometown of Liberal: Dorothy’s House and the Land of Oz.
No place like home? The Wizard of Oz still shapes the world’s view of Kansas for better and worse...
Posted from kcur.org
Liberal
Movies
American History
Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Dowell admits he didn’t think much about Oz as a kid, even though his childhood home was a stone’s throw away from the museum he now runs. He jokes that his grade school forced him and his fellow students to watch the film each year as part of the state curriculum.
Oz’s omnipresence here, he said, often makes it feel like out-of-staters have a stronger connection to the movie than residents do. It’s easy for Kansans to take Oz for granted.
But after seeing the enthusiasm that paints tourists’ faces at the museum — they came from all 50 states and 28 countries last year — the film’s message hits him in a new way.
And just like the movie version of Kansas that Dorothy joyfully returns to, maybe the real Kansas doesn’t have to be a magical dreamland to be someplace special. It can simply be home.
“People live here. We're very excited to live here.” Dowell said. “We're proud of it.”
..."Dowell admits he didn’t think much about Oz as a kid, even though his childhood home was a stone’s throw away from the museum he now runs. He jokes that his grade school forced him and his fellow students to watch the film each year as part of the state curriculum.
Oz’s omnipresence here, he said, often makes it feel like out-of-staters have a stronger connection to the movie than residents do. It’s easy for Kansans to take Oz for granted.
But after seeing the enthusiasm that paints tourists’ faces at the museum — they came from all 50 states and 28 countries last year — the film’s message hits him in a new way.
And just like the movie version of Kansas that Dorothy joyfully returns to, maybe the real Kansas doesn’t have to be a magical dreamland to be someplace special. It can simply be home.
“People live here. We're very excited to live here.” Dowell said. “We're proud of it.”
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