“Toto is being delivered today. I may have to run,” explained Kristi Weber, Oconomowoc’s Community Development Specialist. The excitement in her voice was palpable. Weber and the City of Oconomowoc are all in on the 85^th-anniversary celebration of the very first screening of The Wizard of Oz beginning at 4 pm on Friday, September 6. 

At dusk, the feature movie will be shown on a 45- to 65-foot screen at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Cross Street. Roads will be blocked so people can bring chairs to sit on the road for viewing. Weber anticipates that about 10,000 people will attend the event, spreading onto Village Green Park overlooking Fowler Lake.

Weber explained, “It’s been a multi-faceted year. Mayor Magnus challenged us to return bigger and better than the 80^thanniversary celebration. Oz-onomowoc will host one amazing party with a mini-farm, live music, food vendors, a costume contest and several surprises that I can’t share just yet. It’s a party for everyone from younger children to older adults. And local businesses are excited to participate. Moonlit Movies and the City of Oconomowoc teamed up to turn Oconomowoc into the Emerald City. People will feel the ‘emerald glow’ in the atmosphere. Even the roundabout lights will be green.” Could the Wizard’s State Fair hot air balloon be one of the surprises?

“Our goal is to create an overall atmosphere of happiness. It’s free family fun, and there is no way anyone will be bored,” Weber promised. 

The Revitalization of Oz Plaza 

Oz Plaza, the former alleyway located just to the west of City Hall, was designed in 2020, starting with a “napkin sketch,” to create a safe and fun walkway between Wisconsin Avenue and Fowler Lake, according to Weber. Statues of the beloved characters Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Wicked Witch of the West and the Wizard were unveiled in 2019 and are the focal point of Oz Plaza. As they prepared for this year’s anniversary celebration, Weber’s team noticed the statues needed refurbishing. Some statues needed structural work as they were “much loved” by the public, and most were cracked due to weather effects. Some statues had more depth and shading, and feedback from visitors indicated that Dorothy was unrealistically pale. For all the Wizard of Oz fans, this is reminiscent of the characters’ preparations at the Wash & Brush Up Company before their first meeting with the Wizard himself. 

The city engaged artist Mark Kerttula of Watertown’s Kerttula Kreations, who Weber describes as a “hyper-realistic air brusher,” to renovate the statues. Weber said she could not be more excited about how the statues turned out. Kerttula focused on the Scarecrow’s face and hat, while the Cowardly Lion had a total facial reconstruction, including deleting his mustache. Kerttula watched the movie countless times to ensure accuracy in depicting each character. According to Weber, “All of them are a work of art.” Kerttula is known for his work in Lake Country’s automotive industry, including intricate designs on NASCAR helmets and motorcycle gas tanks.

In the past, the Wicked Witch was tucked behind the other statues, but she now is showcased with the mischievous flying monkeys along the yellow brick road. Weber had the idea to make the flying monkeys interactive with visitors but credits her incredibly talented staff for bringing her concept to life. Weber’s team decided on various flying monkey “wings” sizes so that people of different heights could take pictures with a monkey. Weber chuckled as she explained that even brave dogs of the right height can be photographed with the wings. A local steel manufacturer designed the wings and because they have to sustain public use and the weather, plasma-cut stainless steel was used to create them. Each monkey’s wing is imprinted with “Oz Plaza” or “Visit Ocon.” 

Oz Plaza’s re-swirled and repainted yellow brick road also hosts several new benches and brightly colored picnic tables where visitors can relax and enjoy the refreshed “Journey to Oz” mural or simply dare to dream the dreams that really do come true. The 70-by-30-foot mural was initially painted over two months in 2021 by father-daughter artists Joseph and Lauren Boysa. The mural includes creative, local touches such as a small family of raccoons and the Oconomowoc clock tower in the Emerald City.       

A highlight of Friday’s events will be the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 pm at Oz Plaza to introduce two new character statues, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, and the Munchkin Coroner. According to Weber, “Glinda and the Coroner are now hanging out at the Historical Society if anyone wants to visit them before the celebration.” 

The Oz Vibe Emanates Across Downtown

Walking through downtown Oconomowoc feels like a skip down the yellow brick road as local businesses prepare for the celebration. One store-front window displays life-size cardboard images of Dorothy, Tin Man and Glinda. Sweet P’s Pantry’s window ad includes a photo of Dorothy and the Scarecrow and states, “If I only had a brain, I would know where to find the finest chocolates in Oconomowoc.” The Lounge Boutique has green t-shirts in its window printed with “There’s No Place Like Home. Oconomowoc, WI.” Scintillas Equestrian Gifts of Distinction is showcasing an image of Dorothy labeled “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Many of the street-level businesses at the intersection where the movie will be shown are decorating their windows with green lights in time for the celebration to add to the emerald glow.

Weber noted that the anniversary celebration will continue through the O-TOTO-mowoc public art project. Similar to Waukesha’s GuitarTown sculptures or Madison’s Bucky on Parade life-size statues, area artists are painting ten ten-foot Toto statues. The statues, sponsored by local foundations and businesses, depict Toto in three poses – sitting, one paw up and two paws up. Each artist proposed a design that a review board approved to ensure appropriate content. The statues will be placed throughout Oconomowoc, including at the Historical Society, Bank Five Nine on Wisconsin Avenue, the boardwalk along Fowler Lake and in Fowler Park. Weber emphasized the importance of all statues being visible to the public. Once the statues are in place, physical and online tours will be available so visitors may enjoy them.  

“The city embraces ‘The Wizard of Oz’ wholeheartedly,” Weber said. We love to own the historical aspect of the movie’s premier.” Oconomowoc’s The Strand Theatre test market premiered “The Wizard of Oz” on August 12, 1939. According to the city’s website, “Producers weren’t sure how audiences would react to what is now known as one of the top films of all time. It’s likely some local farmers, downtown shopkeepers and maybe tourists visiting from Chicago were among the first ever to see the Technicolor magic of Dorothy and friends.” The Hollywood premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was on August 15, 1939.