Earlier this month, I previewed the "There's No Place Like Home" event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the "Wizard of Oz." After attending the event this week, I'm fully conceding that perhaps the preview failed to give the subsequent spectacle the credit it now deserves.
Hoping to see 3,000 residents come out to the streets, Oconomowoc's Wisconsin Avenue was lined curb to curb with as many as 5,000 movie goers in attendance.
There was no shortage of creativity or participation. Little girls dressed as Dorothy wandered the thick crowd and professional actors, interacting as flying monkeys or Munchkins, wove an imaginative world blending fantasy and reality.
The film, which was projected on an inflatable 40 foot movie screen, dominated the eastern horizon and drew children and adults alike to pull out chairs, blankets and benches for a movie watching classic.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Maureen Post grew up in Wauwatosa. A lover of international and urban culture, Maureen received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
After living on the east side of Madison for several years, Maureen returned to Milwaukee in 2006.
After a brief stint of travel, Maureen joined OnMilwaukee.com as the city’s oldest intern and has been hooked ever since. Combining her three key infatuations, Milwaukee’s great music, incredible food and inspiring art (and yes, in that order), Maureen’s job just about fits her perfectly.
Residing in Bay View, Maureen vehemently believes the city can become fresh and new with a simple move across town.
