By Storybook Land and the Land of Oz are constant reminders to Aberdeen residents that the author of a series of books about Oz once lived in town.
L. Frank Baum was an Aberdeen resident from 1888 to 1891. He operated Baum’s Bazaar and printed The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. It wasn’t until he moved from South Dakota that he started writing fiction. His most popular series of books started with “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” which chronicles the familiar story of Dorothy and her adventures in Oz with the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man. He continued the story with 13 more books. Following his death, five other authors expanded the story, ultimately creating a 40-book series, and several other Oz-related books have been published since.
Jane Albright of Kansas City, Mo., is an avid collector of all things Oz-related. She said her fascination started as a youth.
“I grew up reading the Oz books,” she said. “We had 13 in the series.”
The Aberdeen Recreation & Cultural Center gallery has an Oz-themed show that will be open for the next month. It was curated with items collected by Jane Albright and includes a series of illustrations created for a book series. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand.
Between her family and neighbors, they had access to 35 of the published Oz books.
In 1975, at 13, Albright joined The Oz Club, which was founded in 1957 by 13-year-old Justin Schiller. Through the years, Albright has collected an array of items that have often been on display. Her collection includes works of art, which are now on display at the Aberdeen Recreation & Cultural Center gallery. It’s open for public viewing until mid-July.
That’s when The International Wizard of Oz Club is set to visit Aberdeen for its convention. It runs July 17-19 with events at the ARCC, K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library and, of course, a trip to Storybook Land at Wylie Park.
It’ll be Albright’s third visit to Aberdeen, but it’s the first time an Oz Club convention has been in town. Events include speakers and a gallery reception with Albright on Friday, July 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. She calls her exhibit “Eclectic Oz.”
Albright, who was in Aberdeen setting up her exhibit on Tuesday, June 10, said this is the first time a gallery has shown her art collection. They include a portrait she commissioned of L. Frank Baum, political cartoons, illustrations from books, comics, paintings and book cover art.
The show opened Monday, June 16. The ARCC gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
A collection of Oz-themed items is on display at the Aberdeen Recreation & Cultural Center gallery through mid-July. It includes a commissioned portrait of L.Frank Baum, one-time Aberdeen resident and author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand.
“I originally just thought about just having art from Oz books and then found other items,” Albright said.
Baum
Baum’s notoriety comes from more than just one book, she said. He’s the creator of a fictional world with a cast of characters created in the wake of the popularity of the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” He also penned songs, plays and poems and other books under seven different pseudonyms, including Edith Van Dyne, Laura Bancroft, Floyd Akers, Suzanne Metcalf, Schuyler Staunton, John Estes Cooke and Captain Hugh Fitzgerald.
“He became a prolific author,” Albright said.
Baum’s time in Aberdeen wasn’t a very successful stretch, she said. But he polished his writing skills as a newspaper publisher, and the descriptions of the vast prairies and Aunt Em and Uncle Henry’s farm are taken from things he saw while in town.
“We believe his years here influenced how he presented Kansas,” Albright said.
She said she’s expecting about 50 members to attend the convention. Events with guest speakers will be open to the public. Those include:
- A discussion with Sue Boland and Michael Patrick Hearn, who will share memories and stories of Matilda Jewell Gage, a lifelong Aberdeen resident and niece to Frank and Maud Baum.
- A visit with Hearn about Baum’s Aberdeen years.
- A discussion about Baum’s newspaper writing in The Aberdeen Saturday Post, including editorials about Native Americans and his “Our Landlady” column. Baum published two columns in Aberdeen that advocated racial genocide.
- Otis Frampton, author of the graphic novel “The Patchwork Girl of Oz No. 1” discussing his next work.
- Don Billie sharing memories of Margaret Hamilton, the most memorable Wicked Witch of the West.