OzCon 2018 - Wow!

Well, it's been just over a week since OzCon 2018 wrapped up. This was, without a doubt, one of the more ambitious undertakings I've ever done.

OzCon registrar Paul Dana with Friends of Dorothy author
Dee Michel

OzCon has had a lot of changes over the years. It was originally the Winkie Convention and was just a single day event, little more than a grand house party. Then the schedules and venue grew larger along with the number of attendees! By the turn of the century (and the millenium), it was a 3-day event held at Asilomar on Monterey Bay.

Numbers began waning during the 2000s, and one David Maxine (publisher at Hungry Tiger Press) was afraid that if something didn't happen, the Winkie Convention would disappear, as had other Oz conventions. In 2009, he began to create a more widely appealing slate of programs, and introduced a new item: a program book full of essays, artwork and other goodies for convention goers along with a collectible tote bag.

Sam Milazzo, James Ortiz and Freddy Fogarty enjoy an
evening meal at Innovation Brew Works.

For 2014, it was decided it was time to leave Asilomar and we moved to San Diego at the Town and Country hotel. Part of this was so it would be easier to arrange and stage a remounting of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, the musical that served as the basis of Tik-Tok of Oz, the centennial book that year. In addition, it was the 75th anniversary of MGM's The Wizard of Oz, and people connected to the film were easier to bring to San Diego than Monterey. This was when the convention rebranded as OzCon International. The next year proved just as strategic to bring guests and even props and behind the scenes material from Disney's Return to Oz. The next two years were in Portland, Oregon.

Raymond Wohl captivates an audience as L. Frank Baum.

I'd at first floated the idea of chairing 2018 in 2015, and that wound up being how I got my name in. By the time the 2017 convention was underway, I had a co-chair in British Oz fan and collector Colin Ayres and a treasurer in the Oz Club's Susan Johnson. Fellow Oz author Paul Dana joined us as registrar, Robyn Knutson came on as Dealer's Room director, and author John Bell came on as daytime programming director. David Maxine had stepped away from heading up the convention a few years ago, but still had a lot of advice and manned the website and put together the program book.

John Coulter had his Ozzy artwork for sale in the
dealer's room!

The first guest of honor I thought of was James Ortiz, the co-creator of The Woodsman, a hit off-Broadway play that had finished running a few years ago, in which he had designed the puppets and actually played Nick Chopper himself. We had tried to get Andy Mangels—a comics writer and historian of Filmation Studios—during our second year in Portland as he lives in the area, but that didn't work out. David reminded me of Andy and we reached out to him. We also reached out to Robert Payes, son of Rachel Cosgrove Payes.

L. Frank Baum (center) poses with characters he created
or inspired during the incredible costume contest.

Our new site at Kellogg West in Pomona, California was suggested by Aljean Harmetz, author of The Making of the Wizard of Oz, so we had her as a guest of honor, but sadly, she wasn't able to attend. We had also invited fandom extraordinaires John and Bjo Trimble, but they also couldn't make it.

Barry Bregman, grandson of Jack Haley had expressed interest in our convention, so we decided to go ahead and add him. Then we invited Christianna Rickard, niece of Ray Bolger. Sam Milazzo got us in contact with local musician Kevin Wood, who we had provide live music for our Friday afternoon reception. Dina Schiff Massachi of UNC Charlotte offered to come to speak about depictions of the Tin Woodman. Finally, Raymond Wohl asked if we had any space for his show in which he depicted L. Frank Baum. We had a cancellation, so we went ahead and put him in. Robert Welch also came, returning from the San Diego years with his book about his grandfather, Arthur "Buddy" Gillespie, and a photo op booth where you could get your photo taken with a real Oscar statuette.

Your chairman and the co-chair (channeling the Scarecrow
in the moment) are photoBaumed.

Adding new elements to OzCon can be a bit rough, and we had some ideas for new additions to the convention. The handful of dealer's tables at Asilomar had flourished to a whole room for San Diego and we were glad to continue that, but this time, we put our registration table in the dealer's room.

In planning out evening programming, I saw we needed some entertainment on Friday night and had the idea of a reader's theater adaptation of the episode from The Tin Woodman of Oz in which the Tin Woodman's party visits Ku-Klip's workshop. Colin suggested that we shouldn't do a straight reading and that we should add some humor to the story. The cast we came up with on our Skype call discussing it was the same cast we had that night: Dina would narrate, Anil Tambwekar would be the Tin Woodman, Colin would be Captain Fyter and the head of Nick Chopper (prompting a joke right away with the Tin Woodman noting that his old head had a British accent), Nathan DeHoff was Woot, Paul Dana was Ku-Klip, and pulling double duty as Polychrome and the Scarecrow would be Erica Olivera, a new attendee from our Portland years, signifying change of character with swapping between a hat for the scarecrow and a rainbow flower crown for Polychrome.

A replica pair of ruby slippers on display near the lounge.

I had a little talk with some of our guests of honor about what we could do with them. Andy mentioned that he'd done karaoke parties at previous events. I'd noted a lot of Oz fans singing at conventions and had remarked that we should have karaoke event. So why not do it at the convention I would chair? Colin began to ask if we could get a karaoke machine, but I realized all we really needed was a laptop, a microphone and good speakers. Mentioning this to Andy, he confirmed it was an easy way to run karoke and with his help, we were good to go.

James Ortiz answers questions
about The Woodsman.

We didn't really want to change a lot of what had made OzCon so much fun in recent years, just bring in new elements that might be adopted in the future. If future chairmen and their teams want to continue comical readers theaters and have late night karaoke with an open bar, that's up to them.

The big day finally came. Since my role would be so important, this was the first year I flew to OzCon. Actually, it was the first time I flew. And what do you know? I loved it!

Thursday we got the dealer's room ready for business and early Friday morning, our decorator Margaret Koontz got to work and turned the whole area very Ozzy with a selection of green and silver balloons and streamers as well as reproductions of illustrations from The Tin Woodman of Oz. In fact, she even added a new contest for us by providing sheets with an illustration at the top and lines for people to write in captions.

To say OzCon went without a hitch would be over generalizing it. I can tell you that in my experience, anything you set out to do will have some issues pop up. The important thing is not that they happen but how you manage them. At the end, a lot of people told us in person and online that they'd had a great time. Things went very well.

During the post-OzCon
Disneyland Day, the Evil Queen
from Snow White peeked out
your fellow Oz fans.

James, Robert, Andy and Dina all fit in well with our attendees, quickly making many friends, while Barry and Christianna were warmly welcomed. Raymond left quite the impression on our attendees, especially when I suggested to him that he attend the OzCon masquerade in costume as L. Frank Baum, which then led to a second suggestion: group photos of L. Frank Baum and the characters he'd created or inspired! The reader's theater was hilarious after our cast revised the script, and the karaoke was a lot of fun for all. Even Margaret's caption contest sheets were full by Sunday morning.

I said "thank you" so often that weekend, and it bears repeating: thank you to Colin Ayres, Susan Johnson, Robyn Knutson, John Bell, Paul Dana, Madeline Knutson, Cindy Ragni, Eric Shanower, David Maxine, Freddy Fogarty, Anil Tambwekar, David Kroffterson, Andy Mangels, James Ortiz, Robert Payes, Aljean Harmetz, Barry Bregman and his family, Christianna Rickard, Jane Albright, Peter Hanff, the International Wizard of Oz Club, Kevin Wood, Sam Milazzo, Nathan DeHoff, Judy Bieber, Erica Olivera, Dina Schiff Massachi, Raymond Wohl, Ted Abenheim, Susan Hall, Bill Graff, Bill Thompson, Scott Cummings, Lee Speth, Margaret Koontz, Eric Gjovaag, Robin Hess, Dee Michel, Angelica Carpenter, John Coulter, Robert Welch, Gary Wood, Kevin Thomas, Karyl Carlson, Laura Gjovaag, Brian Russell, OzRoy Good, Gina Wickwar, Laura Elliott and the staff of Kellogg West and all of our attendees. And if I forgot to list anyone, please put it on my head and not my heart.

Thank you, Mr. Baum.

I spent the day after OzCon at the Disney resort in Anaheim with many of our Oz friends, using a 1-day Park Hopper ticket to experience many of the attractions at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in my first ever visit. The day after saw Colin driving his rental car with four passengers—including myself—over to Glendale where we visited the Forest Lawn location and paid our respects at the grave of L. Frank Baum and the memorial for Walt Disney. (We also spared a thought to MGM producer Mervyn LeRoy, whose grave isn't publicly accessible.) After a lunch, we went over to Hollywood Forever in Los Angeles proper where we visited the new gravesite of Judy Garland, saw the Toto memorial as well as the graves of Mickey Rooney and Rudolph Valentino. I also spotted the grave of Hattie McDaniel.

And we'll remember you very
fondly, Judy.

From there, we split up, Sam taking an Uber to his hotel, and I took a train from Union Station back to Pomona, where I caught a bus to the Ontario airport, where I awaited my flight home. The rest of our party headed out to West Hollywood for even more fun

I still can't believe that all happened, even though I was there for it.

I plan to one day chair OzCon again, and I know next year's team will have things well in hand.

How to get to OzCon International (2018 edition)

One of the things about going on a vacation to a specific location is getting there. It's one thing if you're driving, and another if you're flying or taking a Greyhound bus or an Amtrak train. Because while these get you very far from home and in a short distance to the site, they don't take you right there.

OzCon International is no exception. During the Asilomar years, I was able to take a public transit bus from the Greyhound station in Salinas to Asilomar in Pacific Grove. In San Diego and Portland, the convention sites were very close to public transit trolley cars.

But this year, I'm flying at last, and there's a few options.

Our site this year is Kellogg West, a little hilltop conference center and hotel on the Cal Poly campus in Pomona, California. Getting to Kellogg West can be tricky if you're not following directions.

If you're flying into Ontario airport, you're in luck as Kellogg West will—with at least 48 hours advance notice—send a shuttle to pick you up. But note, this is only for Ontario. If you are arriving at Ontario, call (909) 869-2222 to arrange a shuttle.

LAX and John Wayne International airport aren't too far, and while it's possible to arrange shuttles to get to Kellogg West, you will have to pay for those. (One convention goer informed me that flying to LAX and paying for a shuttle to Kellogg was cheaper than flying straight to Ontario in his case.) For a shuttle from or to other airports, Kellogg West suggests Super Shuttle, which can be called at (800) 258-3826.

Public transportation is also an option, however, Kellogg West is not on any stops, resulting in at least a 23 minute walk from the nearest stop. Google Maps is helpful in finding your specific route. Just enter where you need to go in the directions bar. Fares in Pomona appear to be $1.25 for a ticket with a $.50 charge for a transfer, or $5 for a day pass.

I can't say I recommend it as a budget friendly option, but if you want, there's the option of calling a taxi, or using ride share services such as Uber or Lyft.

If you're a local to the area or are renting a car for the weekend and driving to the site, here's some instructions from the Kellogg West website. Make sure to follow them as missing a step can get you a little lost. I have been informed that a driver using a GPS discovered that his system lumped Kellogg in with the Cal-Poly university, so it's best to take some notes. Kellogg West also provides a PDF map on their website, click this link to download/view. The Google Maps mobile app is suggested for getting there, but please remember to not look at your phone instead of the road while driving!

Kellogg West will have free open parking on the days of the convention, but if you're arriving Thursday or staying after Sunday, make sure to register your car at the check in desk so you don't get a ticket.

From Downtown Los Angeles

Take Interstate 10 east; exit at Kellogg Drive.  Right at University Drive.   Take Horse Hill Drive, staying to your left at the fork, to the Kellogg West Conference Center & Hotel.

From San Bernardino/Ontario
Take Interstate 10 west to Route 57 south. Exit Temple Avenue and make a right hand turn. Take Temple Avenue to University Drive and make a right hand turn. Take University Drive to Horse Hill Drive and make a right hand turn. Take Horse Hill Drive, staying to your left at the fork, to the Kellogg West Conference Center & Hotel.

From Orange County/Anaheim

Take Route 57 north. Exit Temple Avenue and make a left hand turn. Take Temple Avenue to University Drive and make a right hand turn. Take University Drive to Horse Hill Drive and make a right hand turn. Take Horse Hill Drive, staying to your left at the fork, to the Kellogg West Conference Center & Hotel.

From Pasadena

Take Interstate 210 east to Route 57 south. Exit Temple Avenue and make a right hand turn. Take Temple Avenue to University Drive and make a right hand turn. Take University Drive to Horse Hill Drive and make a right hand turn. Take Horse Hill Drive, staying to your left at the fork, to the Kellogg West Conference Center & Hotel.

I hope this information proved useful and I hope to see you at OzCon International!

OzCon International
August 10-12, 2018

Registration and information at

http://ozconinternational.com

Kellogg West Conference Center and Hotel 

3801 W. Temple Avenue
Pomona, CA 91768
1-800-KWEST-76 or 909-869-2222 

OzCon International: Some reminders!

We're nearly down to about four weeks until OzCon International! So I have some reminders.

One is that if you're planning to eat your meals with your fellow attendees in the dining room, you need to purchase your meals in advance. The final day to purchase your meals is July 25th.

The hotel's catering staff needs to know how many people to prepare for and time to make sure they have enough food on hand. Hence the deadline. We won't be able to sell meals onsite at the convention.

There are some restaurants in a short driving distance away, but outside food won't be allowed on the convention site. Please keep any such items in your hotel room.

We wanted to offer sit down meals for all attendees in one area at the same time as this was a pretty favorite way to do meals in years past but hasn't been possible for a bit. It's a great time to chat with your fellow fans. So I highly encourage going ahead and getting your meals paid for.

If you register for all three days of OzCon International or get a supporting membership, you automatically get two collectible souvenirs: the program book and the tote bag. These are made in limited runs specifically for the convention and are thus very collectible.

The tote bag is dual-sided and features full color artwork by W.W. Denslow and John R. Neill. The bags are sponsored by Cindy Ragni of Wonderful Books of Oz.

This year's program book is full color and features essays by many Oz fans, as well as a poem and two short Oz stories, and a guide to Ozzy locations in the greater Los Angeles area with original photographs. The front cover is a beautiful original piece by Maurine Starkey.

If you donate extra to the convention with the $50 upgrade option, you also get a poster and the hardcover edition of the program book, which is in a larger format and has a back cover illustration by Eric Shanower not on the standard paperback.

EDIT: If you want to upgrade to the hardcover program book, you have until midnight July 14, this upcoming Saturday.

To get your book and tote bag, make sure you're registered for a 3-day membership at the convention, or if you can't attend, simply get a supporting membership and you'll get a tote bag and program book mailed to you.

To register or purchase a supporting membership, go to http://ozconinternational.com/registration.html

OzCon International 2018: Check out our SCHEDULE!

There's a lot more to say about OzCon International this year!

First of all, our schedule is now online! You can download and view a handsome PDF designed by David Maxine, or just read the text below.

Our slate of featured folks at the convention grew with the addition of Kevin Wood of New Vision Music, who will be playing a set during our Friday afternoon reception. Also, Robert Welch, the grandson of MGM's special effects wizard A. Arnold "Buddy" Gillespie" will have a table in the dealer's room, which will feature a photo op with a real Oscar statuette.

Introducing... Our new #OzCon site! Check out http://ozconinternational.com to see how you can spend a weekend at #Oz here! #TheWizardofOz

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Jun 14, 2018 at 7:10pm PDT

Make sure you're registered at the OzCon website and hurry and get your hotel room booked!

If you are arriving at Ontario airport and staying at Kellogg West, if you give the hotel 48 hours notice, they will be able to pick you up in a shuttle free of charge! Call 800-593-7876 to arrange the shuttle.

Directions on how to get to the convention site are online on the Kellogg West website at: http://www.kelloggwest.org/kw-directions.aspx
OzCon 2018
August 10th- 12th

(Schedule is subject to possible changes)

Friday, August 10th
10:00 AM
Registration Opens—Baum’s Bazaar
Meet and reunite with fellow Oz fans through introductory games and activities.

10:45 AM
Welcome from the OzCon organizers—Emerald City Room

11:00 AM
Baum’s Bazaar—The Dealers Room opens for business. Add to your collection of Oz books and artifacts.

Oz Animation OdditieZ—Emerald City Room
Pop-culture historian Andy Mangels shares a selection of the quirkiest visits to Oz in cartoons, from The Super Friends to Futurama, Rugrats to The Simpsons, Scooby-Doo to Family Guy, Mickey Mouse’s Clubhouse to Robot Chicken, and many more hidden gems!

Encountering The Tin Woodman of Oz—Tin Castle Room
Author J. L. Bell explores the themes of L. Frank Baum’s twelfth Oz novel, which forces Nick Chopper to confront himself over and over.

12:00 noon
Lunch Break—Dining Rooms
Join us in the dining rooms for a catered meal.
Advance registration required. If you aren’t able to join us, refer to the dining options flyer on the registration desk or in your tote bag.

1:00 PM
Gay Fans of Oz: The Open Secret—Emerald City Room
Dee Michel, author of the new book Friends of Dorothy, discusses the Oz books’ particular attraction for gay boys and men. What does that phenomenon say about Oz and about American society?

@deeamichel is heading to #OzCon! August 10-12! How about you? Register today! Time is running out! Link is in the bio! #Oz #TheWizardofOz

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Jun 11, 2018 at 3:59pm PDT

A lot of wonderful writers of #Oz stories come to #OzCon! @pauldana2 is just one of them! Register today! Link is in the bio! #TheWizardofOz

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Jun 9, 2018 at 4:39pm PDT

2:00 PM
Strong Women of Oz—Emerald City Room
L. Frank Baum is known for creating strong female characters, from Dorothy, Glinda, and Ozma down to unnamed farmwives. Judy Bieber explores this side of the series.

David Montgomery: The First Man to Play Nick Chopper—Tin Castle Room
Portraying the Tin Woodman on Broadway made this comedian a star, but Montgomery died young, leaving no work in the movies or radio like his partner, Fred Stone. David Maxine, compiler of the Grammy-nominated Vintage Recordings from the 1903 Broadway Musical “The Wizard of Oz,” shares what we know about David Montgomery.

3:00 PM
The Woodsman—Emerald City Room
Watch the acclaimed off -Broadway adaptation of the Tin Woodman’s story on video, not yet commercially available. Afterwards, discuss the show with playwright-director James Ortiz.
(This session runs until 5:00.)

Don't miss meeting @jortface at #OzCon! Register today! Link is in the bio! #Oz #TheWizardofOz #TinWoodman #thewoodsmanplay #TheWoodsman #TinMan

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Mar 31, 2018 at 5:36am PDT

What’s Ahead for The Baum Bugle—Tin Castle Room
New editor Sarah Crotzer talks about her plans and hopes for the Oz Club’s flagship magazine of scholarship, criticism, and news. Bring your questions and ideas.

Signing in the Dealers Room—Baum’s Bazaar
Dee Michel, author of Friends of Dorothy

4:00 PM
Finding The Lost Tales of Oz—Tin Castle Room
Author Gina Wickwar moderates a panel of contributors to this collection of new Oz short stories. What’s the state of Oz fanfi ction in our digital world? With more Thompson books starting to enter the public domain, what new opportunities lie ahead?

5:00 PM
Signing in the Dealers Room—Baum’s Bazaar
Paul Dana and other contributors to The Lost Tales of Oz

Opening Reception for All OzCon Attendees—Ozma’s Courtyard
So join us for delightful glass of refreshment or purchase something Ozzier at the bar. Singer-songwriter Kevin Wood will be performing a set, including his original song “The Tinman.”

6:00 PM
Dinner Break—Dining Rooms
Join us in the dining rooms for a catered meal.
Advance registration required. If you aren’t able to join us, refer to the dining options flyer on the registration desk or in your tote bag.

Friday Evening Program
Emerald City Room

7:30 PM
Opening Remarks

7:45 PM
Journey Back to Oz: Filmation’s Animated Oz Feature
Andy Mangels, coauthor of Creating the Filmation Generation and producer of the Journey Back to Oz DVD release, discusses the fi rst ever animated Oz feature film. Find out how this project evolved in its decade of development and creation, and how the all-star cast—including Liza Minnelli and Margaret Hamilton—were brought on board. Learn behind-the-scenes secrets of one of the most famous Oz fi lms ever created!

8:30 PM
100 Years Full Circle: L. Frank Baum, Todrick Hall, and an Emotionally Intelligent Tin Woodman
Dina Schiff Massachi briefly shows the commonalities between L. Frank Baum’s Tin Woodman depiction and Todrick Hall’s, with a focus on how male emotional intelligence and stereotypes play into both.

8:45 PM
Robert Payes: Son of a Royal Historian
Robert Payes is interviewed by Eric Shanower and David Maxine about his mother Rachel Cosgrove and her Oz writings.

You'll love him, trust me on this one! Meet @stiffshots at #OzCon! Register today! Link is in the bio! #Oz #TheWizardofOz #RachelCosgrove #rachelcosgrovepayes

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on May 7, 2018 at 4:31pm PDT

9:15 PM
Break

9:30 PM
Puppetry: The CGI of the Stage
The Woodsman’s James Ortiz explains how he uses puppetry to bring fantastic characters and creatures to life before the eyes of a live audience.

10:00 PM
The Tin Woodman of Oz: Ku-Klip’s Workshop
A hilarious reader’s theater adaptation of an episode from the Baum book we’re celebrating.
Narrator: Dina Schiff Massachi
The Tin Woodman: Anil Tambwekar
Polychrome/Scarecrow: Erica Olivera
Nick Chopper/Captain Fyter: Colin Ayres
Woot: Nathan DeHoff
Ku-Klip: Paul Dana

10:30 PM
Closing Statements
Join us for a drink at the OzCon after-party (complete with cash bar).

Saturday, August 11th

8:30 AM
Registration Opens—Baum’s Bazaar

9:00 AM
Welcome to all from the OzCon organizers—Emerald City Room

Baum’s Bazaar—The Dealers Room opens for business. Discover Oz books new and old. Add to your collection of ornaments and artifacts. Have your photo taken with a real Oscar statuette.

9:30 AM
Costume Contest—Emerald City Room
Admire and applaud this year’s Ozzy outfits and vote for your favorites. Prizes awarded to the best children’s, adult, and group costumes.

Register today for #OzCon! Link is in the bio! #oz #TheWizardofOz

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Mar 10, 2018 at 8:13am PST

10:30 AM
Assembling the Tin Man—Tin Castle Room
Aljean Harmetz, author of The Making of “The Wizard of Oz,” looks back on MGM’s twisting path to casting the Tin Man, and how Jack Haley made the part his own.

Meet journalist and Making of #theWizardofOz author #AljeanHarmetz at #OzCon! Register today! #Oz Link is in the bio! https://t.co/v3JT4CkkWL

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on May 5, 2018 at 12:07pm PDT

Collectors’ Show and Tell—Yookoohoo Lounge
Freddy Fogarty hosts a gathering of Oz collectors sharing their unusual fi nds and favorites. Bring your discoveries and questions.

Quiz Time!—Baum’s Bazaar
Test your knowledge of Ozzy trivia by taking one of the annual quizzes. There are separate quizzes, and prizes, for novices, fans of the movie, and trivia masters.

11:30 AM
Auction Preview—Emerald City Room
Check out all the Oz artifacts and collectibles to be sold this afternoon. Sign up for a bidder’s number and start participating in the silent auction.

Digging into Rachel Cosgrove Payes’s Work—Baum’s Bazaar
Enjoy an in-depth conversation about the author of The Hidden Valley of Oz and many other books in different genres between her son Robert Payes and expert collectors David Maxine and Eric Shanower.

12:30 PM
Lunch Break—Dining Rooms
Join us in the dining rooms for a catered meal.
Advance registration required. If you aren’t able to join us, refer to the dining options flyer on the registration desk or in your tote bag.

1:30 PM
OzCon Auction—Emerald City Room
Join in the bidding for Oz collectibles of all kinds! Conventions are a great place to find bargains and never-before-seen items to round out your collection. Proceeds benefit the International Wizard of Oz Club. (The auction will last until 4:30.)

Heart over Head: Evolving Views on Male Emotional Intelligence and the Tin Woodman—Tin Castle Room
Dina Schiff Massachi provides an overview of how male emotional intelligence, and acceptance or rejection of stereotypes, play into the character of the Tin Woodman by looking at the character as he’s changed over time.

Signing in the Dealers’ Room—Baum’s Bazaar
Barry Bregman, compiler of Heart of the Tin Man, and Christianna Rickard, author of A Legend in Straw.

2:30 PM
MGM’s Special Effects Magic—Tin Castle Room
Robert A. Welch, co-editor of The Wizard of MGM, reveals how his grandfather A. Arnold “Buddy” Gillespie and his special-effects department brought all the magic of Oz to movie screens in 1939.

Yet another guest with a connection to the MGM #TheWizardofOz will be at #OzCon! Don't miss out on an #Oz-some Saturday! Register today! Link is in the bio!

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Jun 18, 2018 at 3:51pm PDT

Signing in the Dealers’ Room—Baum’s Bazaar
Eric Shanower, Eisner-winning comics creator, illustrator, and author; and singer-songwriter Kevin Wood.

3:30 PM
Memories of Jack Haley—Tin Castle Room
Barry Bregman talks about growing up with his grandfather, the vaudeville and Hollywood trouper who was best known as the Tin Man in the MGM movie, and compiling Heart of the Tin Man: The Collected Writings of Jack Haley.

More announcements with a tie to MGM's #TheWizardofOz coming soon! Register for #OzCon today! Link is in the bio! #Oz #TinWoodman #JackHaley #TinMan

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Apr 16, 2018 at 5:06pm PDT

Signing in the Dealers Room—Baum’s Bazaar
Aljean Harmetz, author of The Making of “The Wizard of Oz”

4:30 PM
Shaping the Tin Woodman—Emerald City Room
Even John R. Neill couldn’t decide on one shape for the Tin Woodman’s head. Artist and collector Eric Shanower explores how illustrators across the decades and around the world have drawn the tin man.

We got amazing talent coming to #OzCon! You won't want to miss meeting them! Register today! Link is in the bio! #Oz #TheWizardofOz

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Jun 13, 2018 at 4:38pm PDT

Lessons from Ray Bolger—Tin Castle Room
Christianna Rickard, author of A Legend in Straw: The Spirit of My Uncle Ray Bolger, shares stories about how the famous dancer provided the world with an example of harmony and compassion.

Do you love MGM's #TheWizardofOz? Here's a reason to come to #OzCon! Register today! Link is in the bio! #Oz #RayBolger #Scarecrow

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on May 1, 2018 at 2:20pm PDT

Baum’s Bazaar
Last hour to shop in the Dealers Room!

Auction Settlement—Yookoohoo Lounge
Pay for the items you bought in the Oz Club auction.

6:00 PM
OzCon Saturday Royal Banquet—Emerald Hillside Terrace
Join us on the fabulous shaded Emerald Hillside Terrace for a served meal. It is OzCon tradition that we try to dress up a bit for the Saturday evening dinner. During the meal, the winners of the Treasure Hunt, the Quizzes and the costume contest will be announced as well as the winners of the Winkie Award, the Oz Club Research Table, and the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award.
Advance registration required. If you aren’t able to join us, refer to the dining options fl yer on
the registration desk or in your tote bag.

Saturday Evening Program
Emerald City Room

7:30 PM
Putting the Fun in Fundraising
In which we enrich the OzCon Programming Fund.

7:45 PM
It’s the Baum!
The return of the OzCon game show sensation! Team Chopper and Team Fyter clash as players help their teammates guess Oz-related celebrity names.

8:15 PM
Dear Sarah, Dear Nick: The Long-Distance Friendship of Oz
A long time ago, a ten-year-old in England wrote to a girl in Tennessee, c/o the Oz Pen Pal Association. Twenty-five years later, this unusual friendship is still going strong, based on a shared love of Oz books and other stories—and a nice knock-down argument or two! Since January 2016, these online pals have been reading and discussing the Oz books on their blog, Burzee, to a warm response. They will talk about how a long-distance friendship can endure across the miles and inspire new creative projects in the 21st century.

8:45 PM
A Stroll Through Baum’s Hollywood
Hollywood historian Bill Graff turns back the clock and reveals the Hollywood that L. Frank Baum knew.

9:00 PM
Break

9:15 PM
OzCon 2019
Plans are already underway for the next convention! Meet next year’s Chairman and Vice Chair and listen to some of the early plans.

9:30 PM
MGM’s The Wizard of Oz: Fondly Remembered
Journalist and historian Aljean Harmetz, Barry Bregman (grandson of Jack Haley), Christianna Rickard (niece of Ray Bolger), and Robert A. Welch (grandson of MGM’s Oscar-winning special-effects wizard) engage in a panel discussing the classic film and their personal ties to it.

10:15 PM
MGM’s The Wizard of Oz: A Tribute
Chairman Jay Davis presents a new fan-made music video celebrating the film, closing the program for the evening.
Join us afterward for a drink and Ozzy fellowship at the after-party (complete with a cash bar).

Sunday, August 12th

10:00 AM
Journey Back to Oz—Emerald City Room
Animation historian and DVD producer Andy Mangels provides a special introduction to the 1972 animated movie that featured the voices of Liza Minnelli, Margaret Hamilton, Ethel Merman, Paul Lynde, and other stars. This Filmation cartoon was the fi rst follow-up to the beloved MGM movie—how well did it do? Stay after for a brief Q&A with Mangels about the making of the film and its legacy. (This session runs until noon.)

Check back next week for another programming announcement for #OzCon! Link to the registration site is in the bio! #Oz #TheWizardofOz #JourneyBackToOz

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Mar 24, 2018 at 12:13pm PDT

Marriages in Oz—Tin Castle Room
From the Swynes to the Yoops, The Tin Woodman of Oz portrays couples of many kinds. Baum biographer Angelica Carpenter leads a panel discussion of how the Oz books treat the institution of marriage.

11:00 AM
Contradictions in Oz—Tin Castle Room
Oz novelist and researcher Robin Hess presents a theory about the consistency of Baum’s Oz books certain to stimulate the brains and hearts of Oz fans.

12:00 noon
Lunch Break—Dining Rooms
Join us in the dining rooms for a catered meal.
Advance registration required. If you aren’t able to join us, refer to the dining options flyer on the registration desk or in your tote bag.

1:00 PM
Upcoming Oz Projects—Emerald City Room
A new biography of Matilda Joslyn Gage—Spanish editions of Baum’s books with new Shanower cover art—even a movie of a certain Broadway musical? Freddy Fogarty welcomes guests with news about these projects and more to look for.

Continuity and Consistency in Oz—Tin Castle Room
A panel of Oz fans and scholars responds to the thoughts that Robin Hess shared in his “Contradictions in Oz” presentation. Join in this discussion moderated by Anil Tambwekar about what makes the Oz books real to you.

2:00 PM
Preview and Farewell—Emerald City Room
Hear about plans for OzCon 2019, get involved, and say goodbye to old and new Ozzy friends.

Yookoohoos of Oz by Paul Dana

 Two reviews in one day?

Look, I had a really good weekend.

Yookoohoos of Oz is the third Oz book by Paul Dana, who's now kind of up there as a good friend. That might make me biased, but for what it's worth, I don't read poorly written books very quickly.

Paul's Oz books tend to focus around Ojo and Button-Bright, who L. Frank Baum established as friends in The Lost Princess of Oz. His books have some major developments for the pair, so it's kind of hard to talk about one of the ones after the first without touching on spoilers. The series also builds on the lore of Yookoohoos, the transformation practitioners we first met in The Tin Woodman of Oz and again in Glinda of Oz.

Just to catch up, the first two books are The Law of Oz and Other Stories and The Magic Umbrella of Oz.

Let's try a spoiler-free review: a gathering of Yookoohoos goes completely awry when a surprising new Yookoohoo arrives with a special present. It's up to Ojo, Button-Bright, Grandma Natch and some of their new friends in a mysterious magical adventure.

There really isn't a major villain in the book, and major Oz characters like just about the entire cast of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Marvelous Land of Oz don't even appear. Still, Paul writes the story at a good pace and clearly isn't tired of the characters he's invested in during his previous stories. Far more interesting is that the book is written from the first person view of Ojo, instead of from the third person as most Oz books are. While it's a change, it's not unwelcome.

The book is illustrated by Vincent Myrand, who does some dynamic yet somehow also dream-like illustrations that suit Oz so well.

There's a few ways to get a copy. There's a deluxe hardcover edition with some color illustrations, a standard hardcover without color illustrations and also a paperback.

In addition, you can pick up a copy at OzCon International and have Paul sign it right there. Or you can buy a copy ahead of time and he'll happily sign it. He'll also lead a bit of programming discussing Yookoohoos. So, you could just get a book online and read it, or you can come to OzCon, get an autographed copy and the whole Paul Dana experience (patent pending).

The Royal Podcast of Oz - OzCon International: Andy Mangels

At OzCon International, we will be welcoming Andy Mangels, a foremost authority on Filmation, the company that produced the first animated Oz film, Journey Back to Oz. But Andy's connection to Oz goes a bit deeper. Jay chats with Andy about it.

Find out more about this year's OzCon here and register here.

You can listen, download and subscribe at the podcast site, or use the players and links below. The Royal Podcast of Oz is available on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play Music and other podcast services and aggregators that mirror these.



Download this episode (right click and save)

The Royal Podcast of Oz - OzCon International: Robert Payes

At OzCon International this year, in celebrating all things Oz, there will be special attention given to Rachel Cosgrove Payes, the fifth Royal Historian of Oz, author of The Hidden Valley of Oz, The Wicked Witch of Oz, "Percy and the Shrinking Violets" and "Spots in Oz."

Joining us is her son, Robert Payes, who has appeared on the podcast before. In this brief interview, Robert tells us about Stiff Shots Photography and what he's looking forward to at OzCon.

Find out more about this year's OzCon here and register here.

 You can listen, download and subscribe at the podcast site, or use the players and links below. The Royal Podcast of Oz is available on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play Music and other podcast services and aggregators that mirror these.



Download this episode (right click and save)

The Royal Podcast of Oz - OzCon International: James Ortiz

OzCon International Chairman Jay Davis chats with Guest of Honor James Ortiz. Find out why James created the play The Woodsman and what he's looking forward to at OzCon!

 You can listen, download and subscribe at the podcast site, or use the players and links below. The Royal Podcast of Oz is available on iTunes, Stitcher, Player.FM, Google Play Music and other podcast services and aggregators that mirror these.

Register for OzCon International today!



Download this episode (right click and save)

The Woodsman

When it was announced that I would be chairing OzCon 2018, I knew I wanted to reach out to one potential guest of honor in particular: James Ortiz.

James is the co-creator of the one-act play The Woodsman, a somewhat surreal experience that retells the story of how Nick Chopper came to be the Tin Woodman, based on the account in The Tin Woodman of Oz.

I had to admit, I wasn't familiar with The Woodsman, but I knew about it thanks to editing the Oz and Ends column for The Baum Bugle. A particular contributor sent me several updates about the show, so many that I had to remind him that we couldn't possibly use them all. Just that the show was opening, how long it'd be running, and a broadcast of the recording airing and appearing on BroadwayHD as an exclusive.

Well, now I have seen it. And everything positive I'd heard about the show was true. The show uses mainly music, visuals and human-produced sound effects to tell the story, the most dialogue being in an opening monologue to set the stage of this world. The characters of the Tin Woodman, the Wicked Witch and the animals of Oz are created through puppets, animated by actors onstage dressed as the Munchkins. Being a theatrical production, the audience is to use their imagination to fill in the gaps and pretend those people aren't there.

The show might be considered by some to be dark with the very creepy Wicked Witch and the original story of a man being dismembered being presented faithfully. Yet there's a spirit of whimsy present in the proceedings that feels right for Oz.

Well, luckily for OzCon, James did agree to attend, and he will be talking about some of the creation of the play in addition to screening a video recording of it. So, you can actually see it and learn more about it at OzCon this year if you register for it.

Don't miss meeting @jortface at #OzCon! Register today! Link is in the bio! #Oz #TheWizardofOz #TinWoodman #thewoodsmanplay #TheWoodsman #TinMan

A post shared by OzCon International (@ozconinternational) on Mar 31, 2018 at 5:36am PDT

New OzCon announcements!

There has been some shakeups with OzCon, and we're excited to tell you about it.

First of all, if you wanted to go to OzCon, but can only attend Friday or Saturday instead of the whole weekend, you're in luck! Single day registrations are now available! Check the bottom of the registration page at the OzCon website.

Another thing is we have a new special guest lineup: James Ortiz of The Woodsman, Journey Back to Oz expert Andy Mangels, Royal Historian Rachel Cosgrove Payes' son Robert Payes, and Aljean Harmetz of The Making of the Wizard of Oz are all still coming, but now they're joined by two guests with special connections to MGM's The Wizard of Oz: Barry Bregman, grandson of Tin Man Jack Haley, and Christianna Rickard, niece of Scarecrow Ray Bolger.

Barry is a music producer who helped compile The Heart of the Tin Man: The Collected Writings of Jack Haley, and Christianna is the author of A Legend in Straw: The Spirit of my Uncle Ray Bolger.

There should be opportunities for you to not only purchase copies at OzCon, but get them signed as well, and that's just two of the people who'll be doing signings! More announcements are to follow soon! Keep posted.