|
Viewing 1 - 7 out of 7 Blogs.
Sorry for this being Off Topic... but I just had to ask if any of our haunting friends in the Indianapolis area happened to catch Jenna on FOX 59 report on the Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop and Oz Museum?
It was a small spot, but BellaDonna, AKA Auntie M, was interviewed by News Anchor Jenna regarding the Shop & Museum. The reporter even wore a pair of ruby slippers that Auntie M made.
Please post if you caught the clip. Thanks!
Your Flying Monkey
Tags: BellaDonna
Illness and advanced age is preventing a few of the more popular little
Munchkins from the classic 1939 MGM film "The Wizard of Oz" from
attending this year's festival.
Here's the list I've been provided with, and remember,
this year's festival will once again be spread out, with events all around
Valparaiso, including the Porter County Fairgrounds and Expo Center and
"Munchkinland Market Days" on the grounds of the famed Yellow Brick Road Gift
Shop and Museum on U.S. 49 between Valparaiso and Chesterton.
Forced to
bow out this year were Munchkin soldier August Clarence Swenson, 89, as
well as Munchkin Townswoman/Sleepyhead Munchkin Margaret Pellegrini, 84,
and Munchkin Coroner Meinhardt Raabe, who just turned
92.
Now, for the roster of those attending, look for Munchkin Lollipop
Kid Jerry Maren, 87, and Munchkin trumpeter Karl Slover, who turns
89 on Sept. 21!
Also appearing at this year's festival will be Caren
Marsh-Doll, who was Judy Garland's stand-in during the filming of
"The Wizard of Oz."
Visit www.wizardofozfest.org or call (219)
983-1691 for the complete schedule of days and times for events and
appearances.
And even though this is supposed to be a secret, I'm going
to give readers an early scoop.
A "special surprise guest" this year, and
someone who has never attended any of "The Wizard of Oz Festivals" here in
Northwest Indiana, is tiny Danny Windsor, of Muskegon, Mich., who played
one of the Wicked Witch of the West's infamous flying monkeys in the original
film. He'll be at the Porter County Fairgrounds and Expo Center attending the
festival in the morning and early afternoon, and then later in the afternoon,
will appear at "Munchkinland Market Days" at the Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop and
Museum.
This year, I also will attend both the festival events at the
Expo Center in Valparaiso, as well as appear at the Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop
and Museum with my parents Chester and Peggy to greet guests and
sign copies of my new cookbook "More From the Farm: Family Recipes and Memories
of a Lifetime" (2007 Pediment Press). My father also has made some of his
custom-crafted birdhouses, both bluebird houses and wren houses, each made from
hollow gourds and carved tree branches.
Come out and enjoy this weekend's
nice weather and say hello.
Some good news
I've been told
by the Munchkins who are unable to attend this year's festival to assure readers
that they are resting and working hard to feel better soon. It's especially
important they get back on the "yellow brick road" to good health soon since the
Holly Chamber of Commerce recently announced that the Munchkins finally will be
honored with their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008, and all of
the surviving "little people" cast members are eager to attend the unveiling
next year. http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/09/15/columnists/offbeat/doc934af018b156832786257356005c9 baf.txt
Another MunchkinLand Market Days has came and gone. Its stressful to prepare for, but its sad to know you won't see certain OZ friends for at least a year... if they are still on this side of the rainbow at all. I'll think happy thoughts that all my OZ friends will return once again next year! It was a treat to have Meinhardt Raabe (Munchkin Coroner) return along with his co-author Lt. Commder Dan Kinske. Meinhardt is 91 so his health isn't 100%, but he was fortunate enough to have the Commander care for him.  As he left the the Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop, the Crew formed two lines and bowed down as they chanted "Hail to the Coroner!" This may have confused him as he quickly grabbed for BellaDonna's hand and had her escort him to the car, much to her happiness. It was an exciting weekend for BellaDonna. She puts in some really long hours during MMD, but still manages to hang in there and will attend the after hours events just for the opportunity to say hello to her special OZ friends. This year BellaDonna got to meet Actress Margaret O'Brian from the B&W era, for some of you youngsters. BellaDonna was given a photo of Margaret O'Brian and Mary Ellen St. Aubin as a gift, so BellaDonna charmed her way into getting it autographed by both the actresses.  Mind you, Miss O'Brian is sitting and BellaDonna is on her knees, while Mary Ellen is standing. Mary Ellen is a Munchkin by marriage and her late husband was the first Munchkin from the film to attend the Chesterton Wizard of OZ festival. Though we heard a lot of negative remarks regarding the new location of the Wizard of OZ Festival, we have not heard one ounce of negative feedback regarding the store's MunchkinLand Market Days. This is a testiment to hard work put in by BellaDonna and the rest of the Yellow Brick Road Crew and their ability to keep customer service their number one concern even when customers are lined up across the parking lot waiting to get in!  We'd also like to thank our customers for making this event such a success and kudos to our online customers for their understanding and willingness to be patient as we restock the store to fill their orders. Hope to everyone agian next year at our annual MunchkinLand Market Days! Nikko Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop and OZ Fantasy Musuem
The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop & Oz Fantasy Museum 109 E. Yellow Brick Road (950 N), Chesterton, IN 46304 (219) 926-7048 Munchkinland Market Days September 15, 16 & 17, 2006 For immediate release – August 26, 2006 Contact: Allen Pease, The Event Specialists at (812) 336-7456 or The Yellow Brick Road at (219) 926-7048 Munchkinland Market Days to assist food pantry, Lions Club and scholarship fund . . . Chesterton, Indiana – The Westchester Neighbors Food Pantry, Burns Harbor Lions Club and the Duneland Working Women Scholarship Fund will benefit from this year's Munchkinland Market Days Festival. Along with the fund raising for Duneland area charities are three days of celebrity autograph sessions, children's games, collectible hunting, food, fun and fantasy during the 12th annual Munchkinland Market Days held in cooperation with the 25th annual Indiana Wizard of Oz Festival. The events are September 15, 16 & 17. The Wizard of Oz Festival is produced by Lakeshore Festival & Events, LLC and held at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso. Munchkinland Market Days is produced by and held on the grounds of The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop & Oz Fantasy Museum two miles south of downtown Chesterton and is sponsored by The Yellow Brick Road, Hilton Garden Inn and Jewel-Osco of Chesterton, Leroy's Hot Stuff Mexican Restaurant of Porter and Coca-Cola. Each year, members of Duneland Working Women, an organization of business and professional women, staff Auntie Em's Pie Booth which has become a tradition at Munchkinland Market Days. The women sell fresh brewed coffee, cold Coca-Cola products and slices of homemade pie, just as Auntie Em may have done at the county fair in 1939 Kansas. The proceeds go to the annual Duneland Working Women Scholarship Fund for Porter County residents. Funds will also be raised for the Westchester Neighbors Food Pantry. The Munchkinland Market Days official souvenir program book has been so successful in past years that a fifth edition will be offered this year. It will include photos and stories about the celebrities appearing at Munchkinland Market Days as well as the history of the Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop. The suggested donation for the book is $1. Merchants and organizations that place ads in the souvenir program book make it possible for the entire proceeds to go to the Westchester Neighbors Food Pantry. Businesses and organizations sponsoring the book are Coca-Cola The Yellow Brick Road, Hilton Garden Inn and Jewel-Osco of Chesterton and Leroy's Hot Stuff Mexican Restaurant of Porter. Supporters are WEFM Radio of Michigan City, Minute Man Press of Portage and Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home, El Salto Restaurant & Cantina, Embroidery & More, Haines Collision Center and Marshall's Time Shop--all of Chesterton. This will be the third year that the Burns Harbor Lions Club will raise funds at Munchkinland Market Days by selling their popular giant Oz coloring books, candy and Wizard of Oz pins. The group will also present three children's games–each with an Oz theme. The entire proceeds of their booth will go to the Burns Harbor Lions Club. Free autograph parties are scheduled each afternoon at the Yellow Brick Road. Celebrities appearing at Munchkinland Market Days are Meinhardt Raabe, the Munchkin Coroner and Karl Slover, one of the Munchkins who played a trumpet to herald Dorothy's arrival in MGM's 1939 classic film "The Wizard of Oz." Also appearing are Judy Garland's stand-in Caren Marsh-Doll, poster artist Rick Ewigleben, artist Tim Wolak and Sarah Gorecki, a singer, actress and former Miss Indiana Outstanding Teen. In addition to Auntie Em's Pie Booth, the Lions Club children's games and the free autograph parties, other activities include Picture Yourself in Oz (having your photo taken in a life-size Oz tableau), caricature artist Chuck Bonnett, art & craft booths, face painting, music performances by Gorecki and a vast array of Oz collectibles. In fact, Munchkinland Market Days is a collector's paradise for any collector as well as for Oz buffs. One can find Dorothy dress-up clothes, Wizard of Oz dolls, Oz magnets, Oz T-shirts and sweatshirts, Oz Christmas tree ornaments and hundreds of other Oz-themed keepsakes. Other collectibles include plush animals, dolls, doll clothes, unique jewelry and books. The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop & Oz Fantasy Museum is at the corner of State Route 49 and the Indiana Toll Road, two miles south of Chesterton. A free Munchkinland Market Days event guide is available by sending a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to Event Guide, Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop, 109 East Yellow Brick Road, Chesterton, IN 46304. The Yellow Brick Road can also be reached at their website www.yellowbrickroadonline.com or by calling (219) 926-7048. - end -
The Yellow Brick Road
Gift Shop & Oz Fantasy Museum 109 E. Yellow Brick Road (950 N), Chesterton, IN 46304 (219) 926-7048 The Event Specialists P.O. Box 131 – 3080 E. Covenanter Drive – Bloomington, IN 47402 (812) 336-7456 – allene47402@yahoo.com For immediate release – September 5, 2006 Contact – Allen Pease at (812) 336-7456 The Coroner returns to Chesterton!!! Chesterton, IN – "We are proud to have Meinhardt Raabe again this year as our special Celebrity Guest all three days of Munchkinland Market Days," says Marilyn Zengler, proprietor of The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop. Raabe played the now-famous Munchkin Coroner opposite Judy Garland in MGM's 1939 classic film "The Wizard of Oz." The 12th annual Munchkinland Market Days will again be held the same days as the 25th annual Indiana Wizard of Oz Festival on September 15, 16 & 17. The Wizard of Oz Festival is produced by Lakeshore Festival & Events, LLC. and held at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso. Munchkinland Market Days is produced by and held on the grounds of The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop & Oz Fantasy Museum two miles south of downtown Chesterton and is sponsored by Coca-Cola, Hilton Garden Inn, Jewel-Osco, Leroy's Hot Stuff Mexican Restaurant and the Porter County Republican Party. Raabe will autograph his book "Memories of a Munchkin—An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road" for fans all three days of the event at The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop. The book was published last year and more than 300 people got autographed copies at Munchkinland Market Days. Raabe thrilled many by posing for photos with adults and children alike and he promises to do the same this year. All are welcome to bring cameras to take a photo with The Coroner. "Memories of a Munchkin—An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road" is a 304-page hardcover book from Back Stage Books with 250 color and 50 black & white illustrations. The book is co-authored by Raabe and Daniel Kinske, Lt. USN. The Foreword is by Mickey Rooney. In this deluxe, lavishly illustrated hardcover edition, one of the last surviving cast members of The Wizard of Oz tells his life story and shares his memories of making that Hollywood classic. He also tells his own inspiring story including how he learned that people like him were called midgets at the age of seventeen; how he served in World War II as a Civil Air Pilot with the cockpit specially designed to suit his size; his years as a teacher and spokesman for Oscar Meyer before and after Oz. Born into a family of German dairy farmers, Raabe grew up in Farmington, Wisconsin. In 1938, he heard that MGM was going to make a movie with Judy Garland and "they wanted as many little people as they could find." Through an agent, he was cast in the film. "Memories of a Munchkin" is his account of life as a Munchkin on the set: watching as the glorious Munchkinland was built, putting up with long days of rehearsal, being costumed by legendary MGM designer Adrian, witnessing various mishaps during filming, and much more. The book can truly be called an illustrated walk down the Yellow Brick Road because it includes 50 specially commissioned illustrations by renowned artists such as Al Hirschfeld (whose art graces the cover), Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, and many others; a complete collection of first-run posters and movie cards, published together for the first time; and dozens of unique photos and artifacts -- all unique, all one-of-a-kind, all never before published! Raabe will be available all three days exclusively at Munchkinland Market Days and co-author Kinske will join him. Other celebrities appearing are Munchkin Karl Slover and Garland's stand-in Caren Marsh-Doll on Friday only. Celebrities appearing all three days with Raabe are poster artist Rick Ewigleben, artist Tim Wolak and actress Sarah Gorecki, a former Miss Indiana Outstanding Teen. In addition to autograph sessions, Munchkinland Market Days features Auntie Em's Pie Booth, children's games sponsored by Burns Harbor Lions Club, Picture Yourself in Oz (having your photo taken in a life-size Oz tableau), a caricature artist, art & craft booths, face painting and Oz collectibles. In fact, Munchkinland Market Days is a collector's paradise for any collector as well as for Oz buffs. One can find Dorothy dress-up clothes, Wizard of Oz dolls, Oz magnets, Oz T-shirts and sweatshirts, Oz Christmas tree ornaments and hundreds of other Oz-themed keepsakes. Other collectibles include plush animals, dolls, doll clothes, unique jewelry, books, videos and various arts and crafts. The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop & Oz Fantasy Museum is located at 109 E. Yellow Brick Road, Chesterton, IN 46304, which is at the Indiana Toll Road and St. Rt. 49. For those using global positioning, it is 109 E. CR 950 North, Chesterton, IN 46304. For details on Munchkinland Market Days, The Yellow Brick Road can be reached at their website www.yellowbrickroadonline.com or by calling (219) 926-7048. - End -
The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop & Oz Fantasy Museum
Hilton Garden Inn, Jewel-Osco & Coca-Cola
Present
Munchkinland Market Days
September 15, 16 & 17, 2006
on the grounds of The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop
Chesterton, Indiana
In conjunction with the Indiana Wizard of Oz Festival
Three Days of Fun & Frolic in Munchkinland!
Visit Auntie Em's Pie Booth!
See life-size Munchkin tableau "Picture Yourself in Oz!"
Meet Oz celebrities!
Tour the Oz Fantasy Museum!
Free celebrity autograph parties!
Kids games! Face painting! Art booths! Craft booths!
A huge variety of Oz collectibles available!
Bring your camera! Picture taking welcome!
Friday – In Person! Munchkin Karl Slover & Garland's stand-in Caren Marsh Doll. All 3 days – Oz Coroner Meinhardt Raabe
On Friday you can meet . . .
Karl Slover – Munchkin Trumpeter
Caren Marsh Doll – Judy Garland's stand-in
All three days you can meet . . .
Meinhardt Raabe – the Munchkin Coroner
Rick Ewigleben – poster artist and creator of limited edition Oz series
Tim Wolak – Oz artist and creator of Picture Yourself in Oz
and our official Dorothy and Toto!
All Three Days . . .
Kids games! Auntie Em's Pie Booth! Face Painting!
Art Booths! Craft Booths! Oz Museum Tours!
Autograph Parties! Book Signings!
The Yellow Brick Road Gift Shop & Oz Fantasy Museum
109 E. Yellow Brick Road
[Map Quest – 109 East CR 950 North]
{Find us at St Rt 49 & Indiana Toll Road)
Chesterton, IN 46304 (219) 926-7048 Shop in store or on line! www.yellowbrickroadonline.com
For the Horror movie fans amongst us, that also enjoy a bargain... LTD Commodities is offering a DVD pack of 50 horror movies for the incredible price of $17.95! Click MOVIE SET for more information or to order. Nikko
|
