This summer, you can celebrate the Anniversary of the classic film, The Wizard of Oz in Kansas City with some local family fun. The story is perhaps Kansas’ most famous icon. It premiered on the big screen on August 12, 1939 in Wisconsin, and was aired three days later at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The New York City premiere at Loew’s Capitol Theater on August 17 was followed by a live performance by Judy Garland and the film swept the nation on August 25th!
You can celebrate this masterpiece with some local fun all summer long! Visit The Best of Kansas City or The Kansas Sampler shops to stock up on Oz souvenirs ranging from Dorothy costumes to T-Shirts and Oz Monopoly Games. Or, enjoy one of these special events!
- Enjoy the Classic film for FREE! We all love the movie and no one can sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” like Judy Garland. This is your chance to enjoy it on the BIG SCREEN for FREE! This summer, The Legends 14 is showing FREE family films at 10am on Tuesdays & Wednesdays in June and July (doors open at 9am) and The Wizard of Oz will be shown on July 26 & 27. Learn more about FREE movies at The Legends. Tip: While you're at The Legends, be sure to take your children on a stroll across the "Yellow Brick Road" that runs between the shops in front of Palmer's Ice Cream Shop. See a map of The Legends here.
- Watch the The Wiz Live on Stage! The Wiz, Coterie Children's Theater, Level I Crown Center. Showing: June 21 – August 7, 2011. $10-15/ticket. 816.474.6552 www.coterietheatre.org. This updated version of the story, celebrates believing in yourself. The Wiz is a Tony® award-winning musical based on the the L. Frank Baum classic. The soaring songs are Ease on Down the Road, Brand New Day, No Bad News, Be a Lion. It's the timeless classic you know and love, with a modern, soulful twist. Join Dorothy and her friends Scarecrow, Tinman and the Cowardly Lion on their fabulous journey as they ease on down the yellow brick road in a multicultural view of Oz.
- Take a Road Trip to Wamego to visit the Oz Museum! In Wamego, Kansas (about 2 hours from KC), you’ll find the Oz Museum (511 Lincoln). The museum features the largest collection of Oz memorabilia in the world! Cost: $7/ages 13 and up, $4/ages 4-12, Free/3 and under. Call 1.866.458.TOTO. For information: www.wamego.org/oz_museum.htm
- The Wiz: An Interactive Children's Exhibit at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway, KCMO. Open Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Wiz is a hip and soulful rendition based on the well known children's classic The Wizard of Oz. Our interactive children's exhibit allows children and the young at heart an opportunity to visit the enchanted wonderland of Oz. This exhibition features the four main characters from the musical production: Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. The interactive exhibition also incorporates educational centers focusing on math, science, and reading. For more information, call 816.513.0700.
Note: This list was compiled by the staff of KC Parent Magazine and may not be reproduced in print or online without permission. If you have an addition to this list, please email kristina@kcparent.com
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