IMAGINE

Being a native Kansan, I know a bit about the 1939 movie, "The Wizard of Oz". The classic movie depicts Kansas, in the opening scenes, as dusty, black & white and desolate. Oz, on the other hand is colorful, grand and opulent. Completely opposite. I have often discovered that folks, when and where ever the subject of Kansas, comes up, imagine Kansas as that flat and ugly place, depicted in the movie.

In reality, the Kansas landscape is reasonably varied. It has rolling hills, trees and farms, big cities and miles of unpopulated prairie. There are also many small to teeny towns, dotting the landscape, every 20 miles or so. The population of these towns vary from a couple of hundred to several thousand residents. 

Earlier this week, I visited Wamego, Kansas, population about 5,000. Driving into the town, you'll see  nothing particularly unusual, rare or startling. It has one main street with a nice looking High School, on the far end. Several banks, a rustic looking theater, and a newly renovated library. It's a smaller replica, of my hometown and dozens of others, in Kansas.

However, a very cleaver, entrepreneurial person or persons, has made this little Kansas burg a tourist destination. Wamego is the "Wizard of Oz Capitol of Kansas"! Right on Main Street, in the middle of town, is the OZ Museum. It features displays of costumed manikins, reconstructed scenes from the movie and other OZ centered memorabilia. By reading some of the explanations, on the exhibits, it is clear that Frank L. Baum (author of the many Oz books) was not a Kansas native, and actually not connected to Kansas, or Wamego, in any way. 

Going on down Main Street, there are at least 3 gift shops, selling OZ collectibles. Of course, there is a yellow-brick road (actually an alley) leading to a quaint bakery/restaurant, which resembles Dorothy's home.  Big TOTO statues grace the intersections. Everything was pleasant and well done. 

So, dear readers, if you're driving 1-70, across the 400 miles of rolling hills and prairie of Kansas, make a couple of stops. Along with the well known "World's Largest Ball of Twine", the Catherdral of the Plains and the "World's Largest Van Gogh (on an easel)", spend a couple hours with Dorothy, Auntie Em and the Wizard, in Wamego. 

Remember, "There's no place like home."
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Dear Lord. Life is good here in the "fly-over state.We thank you for our many blessings.