The Land of Oz

 
Now, I am as big of a fan of Wizard of Oz as any straight man is allowed to be.  No matter how old I get, I can sit down and watch that movie all the way through and probably quote every line.

So, you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that there was a Wizard of Oz themed amusement park in North Carolina.

And then, you can probably imagine how disappointed I was when I found out it closed in 1980.

But then, you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that they actually open the park up for one weekend every year.

The Land of Oz existed from 1970-1980 and was insanely popular at the time of its opening.  Sadly, the park had a very quick decline, possibly by due to the fact that it is located in the absolute middle of nowhere in the tiny mountain town of Beech Mountain, NC.   The attraction is still technically there, but had been converted into a mountaintop sub-division.  You can actually rent out Dorothy's house for the weekend.  The property is still circled by the yellow brick road.

In 2008 we decided to check it out.  After driving hours through narrow mountain passes we finally arrived to find about a million and a half people waiting to visit the Land of Oz.

You see, while building theme parks on top of mountains was all the rage back in the day, it presents some logistical problems.  Like, how do you get all these people to the top?

After waiting for a good deal of time in line, our chariot arrived....

To bad they didn't have these scary Ski Lifts working.

At the top you are met by citizens of the Emerald City, who instruct you to get in line.

The Land of Oz is not exactly a traditional amusement park.  The original park only included one ride:  a sky lift style hot air balloon ride.  Unfortunately, it is no longer in operation.  Also, the show and shopping areas were destroyed in a fire.  The original park can be seen in this map I purchased at the festival (which now hangs on my office wall).

The Land of Oz is essentially a long decorative pathway with a series of meet-and-greets with Oz's characters.  The first being, the lovely Dorothy.

After meeting with Dorothy we head into her family farm, where costume characters such as this Miss Gulch pose for pictures........

 

There is also bluegrass music being played, as is the custom for every southern event.

There is a barn containing some surprisingly valuable artifacts of American Cinema.....

As well as some artifacts from the old park.....

You start your journey into the Land of Oz by entering Dorothy's house, seen here behind another Miss Gulch.

You walk into Dorothy's quaint little home, which appears to be your average ordinary farm house.  Then you walk down to the storm cellar and into the "Tornado Room".

The room is full of black light murals, strobe lights and tornadic sound effects.  Also, there is this horrifying effigy of Miss Gulch.

After emerging from the Tornado Room you find the same cottage you had walked through before, but it they are now in disarray from being in the Tornado.

Stepping out of Dorothy's house you are greeted by the iconic legs of the Wicked Witch of the East.....

This is accompanied by the Munchkin Coroner singing his famous song....

Now, we begin our trek down the Yellow Brick Road.

The trail is decorated with some fiberglass mushrooms.....

Some munchkin homes.....

And some super creepy faces affixed to actual trees.......

How would you like it if someone came and picked something off of you?

By the way, let's see how the trees appear on the map.....

You start walk along the yellow brick road and meet up with the iconic characters, such as Professor Marvel (who technically should not be in Oz)....

The Scarecrow......

The Tin Man.....

And the Cowardly Lion.....

One thing that always bothered me about the movie: The Scarecrow had no brains, yet he didn't need them because he was the smartest, The Tin Man had no heart, yet he didn't need it because he was the most passionate and loyal.  However, the Cowardly Lion didn't have any courage....and he really didn't:  He was afraid of everything and never showed any bravery.

That takes us to Glenda the Good Witch.  Here she is posing, with what appears to be Jerry Garcia.

Funny thing about Jerry there.  Ever sense we saw him here at the Land of Oz and stole this photo of him, he mysteriously has appeared and virtually every event we attend in the region.  We have spotted him at the Asheville Drum Circle, The Burlesque Festival and the Mardi Gras Parade.

After braving Flying Monkeys.....

And chanting Winkie guards.....

Oh-E-Oh-Yo-Ho

The yellow brick road eventually took us to the dreaded Witches Castle.....

 

Where the Wicked Witch of the West puts in an appearance......

 

 

And does what she does best:  Terrify children.

Your journey finally takes you to the grand finale:  Oz, the Great and Powerful.  Portrayed by a giant fiberglass head.

Just make sure to pay not attention to the man behind the curtain.

Then of course you get a chance to get your photo taken with the whole crew.

Now, let's end things proper, with this amazing clip of the ORIGINAL 1910 film, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 

The Carpetbagger

Please feel free to email me at jacobthecarpetbagger@gmail.com
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The Carpetbagger Ends the Civil War

I have posted a new video to the Carperbagger Youtube Page.  In this video I finally put all lingering controversies of the Civil War to rest.  You're welcome!





Please feel free to email me at jacobthecarpetbagger@gmail.com
And don't forget to check out my Flickr Photostream and my Youtube Page.  You can also follow me on instagram. 

Search for Mary the Elephant

Perhaps on of the saddest tales in all of the South is the story of Mary the Elephant.  Mary was a circus elephant in 1916 with Sparks Brother's Circus.  The Circus had hired a drifter by the name of "Red" that day to be Mary's handler.  During the pre-circus parade in Kinsport, TN Red smacked Mary with his bull hook.  Mary responded by wrapping her trunk around Red and threw him to the ground.  She then took her foot placed it on Red's head and squished it like a grape.  It is reported that local children were traumatized for life. 

But the show must go on:  Mary performed in the circus as normal.  Unfortunately for Mary, the people of Kingsport were enraged that an Elephant straight up murdered a man in front of their children.  To answer their concerns the Ringmaster announced that the following show in Erwin, TN would also feature a public execution of the murderous elephant.

The deed was carried out in Erwin, TN.  A railroad wench was used to hang Mary by the neck.  The chain snapped the first go around and Mary crashed to the ground, still alive.  Of course this would not deter the circus, they rehung Mary by the neck until she died.  She was then dumped in an unmarked grade and the circus left Erwin, TN.  It is reported that local children were traumatized for life. 

A single picture of the execution was taken on that day.  Some people find this image incredibly disturbing, so be warned.  You can see it HERE.

It is said that the people of Erwin are not proud of their legacy as "The Town that Hung an Elephant" and that the subject is somewhat taboo.   However, There was one business who wasn't afraid to capitalize on the legacy:  Hanging Elephant Antiques.  They were not subtle about it either, as they used the infamous image of Mary hanging as their logo.  Here is an old picture of their logo I found on the internet.

NOT MY PICTURE

I have been absolutely fascinated by this Macabre tale ever since I heard it.  When I finally had an opportunity to visit Erwin, TN.  I wanted to find out all I could about Mary. 

On a small side note, Erwin, TN sits in the stretch of Mountains that straddles the NC and TN state line.  This stretch of mostly unpopulated land was actually its own state at one point.  This state was known as "Franklin".  There are small reminders here and there that pay homage to the lost state of Franklin.

So anyways, upon arriving in Erwin.  I went to the only logical place I could think of to find out info on Mary the Elephant:  Hanging Elephant Antiques.  Unfortunately, the shop no longer existed.  Its logo had been removed and covered up with this.

The haunting image of and Elephant swinging by its neck was gone and replaced with image of a little girl swinging from God's finger tips.

But I was not ready to give up.  Some quick research showed that there is a local history museum in town.  So off to the Unicoi County Heritage Museum I went.

The museum was curated by an older lady.  She was extremely friendly and eager to talk to me about the local history.  Oddly enough, even though the museum was much larger then most local museums of its type, it didn't make a single mention of its most famous scandal.  The curator never mentioned anything about Mary either and I was a little nervous about bringing it up.  The lady shadowed me through the museum, which actually had one of the best collections of unintentionally creepy mannequins I have ever seen.

Check out the hand

I finally worked up the nerve to ask the lady about Mary.  She waved her hand in the air and sighed.  Obviously she was tired of people asking about the elephant.  "It was a mercy killing," she said, and just as quickly she moved onto the next exhibit without another word about Mary.  She showed me the only part of the museum she didn't like: The Taxidermy room.  Personally, I rather enjoyed it.

Chaos Reigns!

Nevermore!

The lady was even kind enough to open up the railroad museum in the back that was not yet open to the public and showed me around.

As we left the Railroad Museum, I had finally worked up the courage to bring up Mary again. 

"Early, you said that Elephant hanging was a mercy killing."

"Yes," she said.  Then suddenly she waved at someone off in the distant and walked off leaving me standing there by myself.  

The Carpetbagger

Please feel free to email me at jacobthecarpetbagger@gmail.com
And don't forget to check out my Flickr Photostream and my Youtube Page.  You can also follow me on instagram.