OZtoberfest begins on Friday evening and goes through Saturday night in Wamego, KS
Wamego's connection to the Wizard of OZ is everywhere. Pulling into town at the corner of HWY 99 and HWY 24 is Auntie Em's house complete with the wicked witch of the West's black and white striped stocking and red shoes.
They have the Yellow Brick Road complete with murals that lead you down the path. The amazing OZ museum brings so many original film items to the area for visitors to enjoy! There is a collection of Toto statues around town, each with a different theme, and allows visitors to enjoy and explore the town by finding the Toto's.
With this amazing connection it makes perfect sense that every year Wamego, KS would have a celebration called OZtoberfest! OZtoberfest begins on Friday evening and goes through Saturday night. Friday night kicks off with a viewing of the Wizard of Oz, but not like you are used to. This one is called the Dark Side of the Rainbow and is synched to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Head to the Friendly Cooker and bring your lawn chair by 6 pm to experience the Wizard of Oz like you never have before, movie starts around 7:15 pm (ish).
Next up, on Saturday morning things start off on Main street at The Columbian Theatre.
Begin the day at Columbian Theatre for a Magic Show and Murder Mystery, followed by a live auction. There will be various performances in front of the Columbian Theatre starting at 10 am, here is the list:
Emerald City Stage-In front of Columbian
10 – Introductions of Special Guests-John Fricke
11:00 – 11:30 Yellow Brick Road Band and then Emerald City Singers
12:00-1:00 Costume Contest-John Fricke-emcee
1:00 Toto Look-a-Like contest-Jon Pachta emcee
2 The Bell Trio-Jass
3:30 Rickety Downspout-Bluegrass/Country
4:30 -5 WHS Jazz Band
5:00 – 6 Ian Batey-Guitars and Vocals
Tin Man's Talent-In Front of Indoor Market/Iron Clad
10 am Play Music
10:30 Storytime with Dorothy
11:30 Olathe Dance Center
2:00 -3:00 Jack Reid Magic
3:00 – 3:30 Olathe Dance Center
4:00 WHS High Voltage
4:30 Beth Land-Guitar and Vocals
4:45 WHS Dazzlers
There are additional events taking place starting at 10 am and lasting until 6 pm Sat evening.
Make sure you also check out the car show, BBQ Challenge, and more, you can find all the details about the OZtoberfest in Wamego, KS link here, and the event map on the Wamego Chamber website.
All Kinds of OZsome Things (Oct 2nd) 10am - 6pm
- WIZARD'S BEER & WINE GARDEN: Craft and domestic beers and Wines
- CHILDREN’S TRAIN (City Park)
- FACE PAINTING
- CARRIAGE RIDES with a Horse of a Different Color
- OZ COSTUME CONTEST- Emerald City Stage in front of Columbian
- TOTO Look-a-Like COMPETITION - Emerald City Stage
- FOOD VENDORS: A variety of great food and drinks
- INFLATABLES: $10 All-day wristbands
- WIZARD Of OZ COOKIES- Columbian Theatre
- POPPY PLAYFIELD: Children's area with fun activities and games
- MAGIC SHOWS:
- OZ CHARACTERS: Throughout the day indoors and out, look for OZ Characters for photo opportunities and more.
- OZ STORYTIME: Wamego Library (11:00 am and 1:00 pm)
- OZ VIGNETTES: Photo ops, throughout the festival, indoors & out.
- TIN MAN’S COSTUME: Check out the OZ Foundation’s NEW Tin Man walking around the festival. Designed by Clay Hieschler of Aksarben Industries. He has been making costumes for cosplay for the past 6 years.
- TOTO’S TACOZ! OZsome fresh-mex fare with big taste. Indoor, patio-style seating offers plenty of room for you to enjoy local favorites like Yellow Brick Burro’d, Tin Man Black Bean Burrito, and Munchkin Tacoz.
- POPPY PLAY FIELD In front of the Wamego Chamber Office. Fun games for kids.
- YELLOW BRICK ROAD SALE: Vanderbilt’s: Your Work Boot Center
- OZ WINERY: Sample their fine wines for purchase while you're in Wamego! Serving 4 free samples( customer choices!) all day Saturday.
