- WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA WEEKEND,
I'M DEBORAH HOLT NOEL.
BACK IN 1970, A GROUP OF DEVELOPERS DECIDED TO CREATE
A THEME PARK ON BEECH MOUNTAIN
BASED ON THE POPULAR FILM THE WIZARD OF OZ.
WELL THINGS STARTED OUT GREAT, BUT BY 1980
THE PARK HAD REALLY STARTED TO DIMINISH.
FLASH FORWARD TO TODAY AND THE LAND OF OZ IS BACK
DURING THE SUMMER AND IS STILL A FUN QUIRKY PLACE TO VISIT.
- WELL GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO OZ.
ARE YOU READY TO FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD?
- ARE YOU GONNA CLICK YOUR HEALS WHEN YOU GET UP THERE?
- [WOMAN] WE ARE.
- IF YOU HAVE TO GO HOME?
- [WOMAN] WE ARE, WE CAME ALL THE WAY FROM FLORIDA.
- WE ACTUALLY SAW AN ADVERTISEMENT ON FACEBOOK FOR IT
AND SO WE LOOKED IT UP.
TICKETS SOLD OUT IN 15 SECONDS, BUT YOU KNOW,
WE WERE LUCKY AND GOT THEM.
FLYING MONKEYS WOULD BE AWESOME [LAUGHS]
BUT THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE THERE.
- I HOPE YOU DON'T SEE FLYING MONKEYS TODAY.
- THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE DISTURBING.
♪
- LAST CALL, 11:30 TOUR THROUGH OZ.
[KNOCKS]
- WHO RANG THAT BELL?
NOBODY GETS IN TO SEE THE WIZARD,
NOT NOBODY NOT NOHOW.
DO YOU KNOW YOUR LINE?
- NO.
- BUT I'M DOROTHY FROM KANSAS.
- I'M GONNA HAVE TO DO BETTER.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK MUNCHKIN?
SO FAR SO GOOD?
MY NAME IS CINDY KELLER, AND MY HOME IS IN KANSAS.
THIS IS THE LAND OF OZ, OR THE KANSAS PORTION
OF THE LAND OF OZ ON BEECH MOUNTAIN.
AS MAYOR OF THE MUNCHKIN CITY,
IN THE COUNTY AND THE LAND OF OZ,
I WISH TO WELCOME YOU MOST REGALLY
AND WE'RE ALL HERE TO VERIFY IT LEGALLY.
I CAME HERE 20 SOMETHING YEARS AGO TO HELP
WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROPERTY.
I AM CARETAKER, OR SELF-APPOINTED TITLE OF
THE KEEPER OF OZ.
♪
- WE'VE GOTTA GET AWAY.
WE'VE GOTTA RUN AWAY, QUICK!
OH HELLO!
- [CINDY] IN THE 1970S,
IT WAS A LITTLE MOM AND POP'S THEME PARK
THAT BROUGHT JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY.
THE LAND OF OZ WAS IN OPERATION FROM 1970 TO 1980.
IT WAS CREATED BY THE SAME FAMILY
THAT RAN TWEETSIE RAILROAD.
MR. ROBBINS, GROVER ROBBINS PASSED AWAY
SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE PARK OPENED.
- HE HAD TO HAVE A LOT OF GUMPTION I WOULD IMAGINE.
- THE WORD THAT I HAVE HEARD HIM DESCRIBED AS
A NUMBER OF TIMES WAS VISIONARY.
- [MAN] WE'LL GAZE INTO THE CRYSTAL.
- [CINDY] THIS IS OUR THIRD SUMMER
DOING THE FAMILY FUN FRIDAYS.
- NOW WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY?
- [CINDY] YOU WILL TAKE THE CHAIR LIFT
AS YOU DID IN THE 1970S TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
AND YOU WILL BE GREETED AT THE OLD FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH.
WELL THERE WERE A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS PURCHASED FROM MGM
BACK IN 1969.
WE'VE GOT LITTLE MUNCHKIN SLIPPERS.
WE HAVE THE GATEKEEPER'S CLOAK.
THE THING THAT PROBABLY STANDS OUT IN MORE PEOPLE'S MINDS
THAN ANYTHING IS THE CYCLONE.
THIS IS THE ORIGINAL 1970S FILM
THAT WAS MADE FOR HERE IN THE PARK.
THEY REMEMBER GOING IN AND GETTING DISORIENTED
AND TOSSED INTO AN UPSIDE DOWN HOUSE.
- TOTO, I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN KANSAS ANYMORE.
WE MUST BE OVER THE RAINBOW.
- THERE ARE 44,000 YELLOW BRICKS I AM TOLD.
THEY WERE MADE IN WINSTON SALEM
AND THEY WERE GLAZED AND FIRED FOUR OR FIVE TIMES
TO GIVE THEM THE ENAMEL.
I MEAN WHEN THE SUN HITS THOSE YELLOW BRICKS
IT'S QUITE IMPRESSIVE, YOU KNOW.
- DO YOU SEE THAT?
THAT'S HOW MUCH LONGER YOU'VE GOT TO BE ALIVE,
AND IT ISN'T LONG MY PRETTY.
♪ WAKE UP YOU SLEEPY HEAD
♪ FROM YOUR RISE, GET OUT OF BED
♪ WAKE UP THE WICKED WITCH IS DEAD
- I USE THE WORD HOKEY,
BUT I'VE GROWN TO APPRECIATE THE WORD HOKEY.
PEOPLE LIKE SIMPLE THINGS AND FAMILY THINGS.
♪ SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
- I WOULD HOPE THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY
THAT EVERYONE HAS SUNG A HAPPY SONG
AND LEAVES WITH A SMILE ON THEIR FACE.
- [DEBORAH] THE LAND OF OZ IS OPEN EVERY FRIDAY IN JUNE
AS WELL AS SEPTEMBER 8TH, 9TH, AND 10TH IN BEECH MOUNTAIN.
PARKING IS LOCATED AT THE BEECH MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT
AND THEN YOU TAKE THE CHAIR LIFT TO THE LAND OF OZ.
FOR ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED,
VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT LANDOFOZNC.COM.