I was in my hometown of Lawrence for just one day before hitting the open road—with boxes of books in tow, luggage piled up in the back of our rented SUV, and my reliable still camera charged and ready to go. Off we went to Wamego on the morning of Friday, October 2, 2009. It was an eighty-minute drive west, past the state capitol of Topeka. We followed the old Oregon Trail used by the pioneers. It’s now the I-70 Highway. And it has been for quite some time as you might have guessed—complete with a toll road (for a buck) and a good taste of the expansive Kansas plains along the way.

The closer we came to our destination, we began to see several colorful billboards on the side of the road advertising the Oz Museum and the Oz Winery. Even a Mexican restaurant called Toto’s Tacoz! Call it a hunch … but I suspected we were headed in the right direction. Although there didn’t seem to be any sign of a town, scarcely a house, and very few farms, come to think of it.

On we went! Just like the pioneers … only much faster … and more comfortable … and … okay, nothing like the pioneers.

After crossing a bridge on the 99 Freeway over the Kansas River, a wonderful Mayberry-esque town suddenly sprang up in front of us. We found ourselves traveling right down the main street of Wamego. And there was the winery and the restaurant and the museum as advertised.

The Oz Museum. Downtown Wamego, Kansas.

First, we went inside the historic Columbian Theatre where the evening’s festivities would take place. I saw Jane Albright and Blair Frodelius from the Oz Club right way. Jane was chairing the 2009 national convention. She gave me a quick and happy hug, and I could practically see the million thoughts racing through her mind about everything that still needed to be done, confirmed, and checked off her list before the big dinner began.

The theatre was great! But curiously (at least to me), it was filled to the brim with Patti Page memorabilia. It surrounded us on every wall. An impressive, loving, and comprehensive tribute to the 1950’s pop singer. But other than Patti’s hit recording of “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” and Oz’s favorite canine Toto, I couldn’t get the connection. Apparently, the theatre was multitasking with their events: Patti, our Oz Club dinner, and a live stage production of “The Wizard of Oz,” all going on at the same time. And I forgot my ringmaster hat! Dang.

I soon found Grant Hayter-Menzies on the scene, author of “Mrs. Ziegfeld: The Public and Private Lives of Billie Burke,” and Paul Bienvenue, author of “The Book Collector’s Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz.” Paul and his wife Catherine helped us set up and test-drive our PowerPoint presentations for the after-dinner speeches. Bless them both!

Setting up at the Columbian Theatre in Wamego, Kansas. Left to right: Paul Bienvenue, Grant Hayter-Menzies, Paul Miles Schneider, and Catherine Bienvenue observe, while Jane Albright adjusts the projector.

Then we made a fast round trip to Manhattan (twenty minutes away), checked into our hotel near Kansas State University, unpacked, changed clothes for the evening, and headed back to the town of Wamego for a five o’clock cocktail reception at the Oz Museum. Exhausted? Sure! But “our little party was just beginning,” to paraphrase Margaret Hamilton’s witch.

More familiar folks started to arrive then, including several of the Munchkins from the 1939 MGM film. I spotted Jerry Maren and his wife along with Ruth Duccini. I had met them once before at a Culver City Hotel gathering, and I have a signed group photo to mark the occasion. But I always have to stop and stare at them for a moment. Not because they’re little people at all. It’s because they are a living part of the one movie that has gone on to shape my life in such a profound way. Admittedly, I’m a tad star-struck whenever I see them. After a quick bit of internal math, I realized that these beloved entertainers are all pushing ninety and beyond now. “The Wizard of Oz” is celebrating its seventieth anniversary this year. And these surviving performers were in their late teens or early twenties when they first donned their colorful felt costumes and stepped out onto one of the most indelible film sets in cinema history. As we milled about together in the museum, I got a big kick out of seeing their matching baseball jackets made of shiny emerald green. They were the unified members of an elite team of magic-makers with precious few players left to tell the tale. It was great to see them there.

Then I met John Fricke. I had known his name for years. He is the well-known author of several definitive books on both the MGM “Oz” film and the life of Judy Garland. This was a terrific chance for me to introduce myself and gush a bit.

Authors three at the Oz Museum in Wamego: Paul Miles Schneider (“Silver Shoes”), John Fricke (respected Oz and Garland historian, and author of many definitive books on those subjects), and Grant Hayter-Menzies (author extraordinaire of “Mrs. Ziegfeld: The Public and Private Lives of Billie Burke”).

I also had the opportunity to say hello again to Robert Baum at the reception. He is a great-grandson of Oz creator L. Frank Baum. I had met Bob once before at my first book-signing in Glendale, California. Such a nice man! Bob told me he had loaned some of his extensive collection to the Wamego museum, and for me, this was the heart and soul of the entire place. The Oz Museum is much bigger and better than I thought it would be. Visitors are taken through a series of rooms, some dedicated to extensive Oz collections (the books, films, TV specials, etc.), while others are environmental recreations of scenes from the MGM movie, each one paying homage to a principle character (Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Wicked Witch, etc.).

Here I am, standing in front of the Tin Man exhibit at the Oz Museum in Wamego. I played this role for the Kansas Repertory Theatre, way back in 1982. Wait … why does he look like he’s sneaking up on me with that axe?!

The reception segued right into the dinner a few doors down at the theatre. The theme for this evening was “The Wonderful Witches of Oz.” Jane had each of the tables decorated with either a large glass “Glinda bubble” or a Wicked Witch’s crystal ball. They made striking centerpieces. We broke bread and shared a table of honor up front with Grant Hayter-Menzies, as well as Hamilton Meserve and his lovely wife Helen. Ham, Grant, and I were the guest speakers for the night. “Ham,” as he is known, is the son of legendary actress Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West from the MGM film. He was just three years old when his mother stepped before the cameras and created the most memorable female screen villain of all time. This was his first appearance at an Oz convention (mine, too!), and his first time delivering a full presentation about his mother (… mine, too!).

If I look a little overeager here, I was! A thrill to meet the only son of my former “second grade pen pal,” Hamilton Meserve. His mother was none other than Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West in MGM’s “The Wizard of Oz.” We had a great conversation at dinner.

First up was Grant, who gave us his wonderful insight into the life of Billie Burke and the genesis of her iconic screen characterization of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. His speech was accompanied by many rare photos of Burke, aka “Mrs. Ziegfeld.” Next up at bat was yours truly, and I launched into the story of how I first met Margaret Hamilton at the age of seven and how she had become my second-grade pen pal for the entire school year, just a few months later. You can read the full account on an earlier blog entry by CLICKING HERE.

Giving my speech and PowerPoint presentation, while Margaret’s daughter-in-law Helen (Ham’s wife) looks on, sitting at our dinner table. Such a thrill for me to meet them both!

The evening was a huge success, according to those who attended, and it was capped off by the biggest laugh of the night—when Ham spontaneously rose from our table with a full carafe of water and playfully threatened to douse expert Wicked Witch impersonator Kurt Raymond with it! They both had such terrific senses of humor.

Hamilton Meserve chases after master Wicked Witch impressionist Kurt Raymond with a carafe of water as the startled crowd cheers and laughs.

The next morning began for us bright and early at Kansas State University in Manhattan. The academic convention, with a theme of “Re-Creating Oz,” was being sponsored by the university’s English Department and featured a variety of panels and presentations throughout the day. I had submitted my speech months earlier, along with others, in a traditional “call for papers,” and had been invited to give my presentation on Re-Imagining the World of Oz For Contemporary Audiences: An In-Depth Analysis of the Creative Process for the Novel “Silver Shoes.”

Paul Miles Schneider reads from his novel “Silver Shoes” at the historic Columbian Theatre in Wamego, Kansas, as part of their annual OZtoberFest celebration. A near life-sized cutout of L. Frank Baum, as he appeared in a nineteenth-century theatrical production, looks on.

This event was unfortunately a bust, however. Once again, multitasking was the word du jour at the theatre. And the stars of the day, the lovable Munchkins from the 1939 movie, were holding a highly-publicized autograph session upstairs in the main theatre. There was a long line of people waiting outside, and it stretched several blocks down the main street of town. I was very impressed! But as a result, the front doors to the theatre were barred and closely guarded by T-shirted security personnel. They didn’t seem to know about or even care that another event was going on simultaneously in the same theatre downstairs. In other words, about fifteen minutes before Grant and I started our signing sessions, nobody else was allowed to come inside the theatre to see us! Nice. The theatre and, in particular, the Wamego festival were the actual hosts of our event that day, not the Oz Club. Yet no one in charge was around. We had a small and literally captive audience of early-birds in there with us. And I did my best to entertain them with a book reading—shouting whenever necessary over the chattering crowds in the front lobby as they trudged steadily upstairs to meet the Munchkins with their crying babies in tow.

Such a shame this hadn’t been better managed, promoted, and clarified for the attendees of the festival!

After I finished my “highly secretive” reading and signing, most of our captive and appreciative audience left the theatre quickly. The security personnel would let them exit the theatre, sure, but not enter again. And with no one else allowed to come inside unless they had Munchkins on their minds and were standing patiently in the velvet-roped queue to go upstairs, Grant made an executive decision to throw in the towel and call it a day. No “Mrs. Ziegfeld” reading. Can’t say I blame him one bit. I quickly followed suit myself, and I bid a fond farewell to Grant. It was such a pleasure to meet him, get to know him a bit, and spend some time with him. I definitely gained a good friend at this convention.

So we packed up our boxes, right along with our confusion, frustration, and our pride, and we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in town checking out the festival with my visiting cousins who had driven all the way from Denver to see me. We had a blast with them, and we went out later for a nice dinner and drinks on our own. It was the perfect way to brush off any remnants of disappointment.

That’s me, in front of a huge Tin Man head, in the gift shop of the Oz Museum, with my visiting cousins: Courtney Cowgill, Shelley Burger, and her good friend McKenna.

All in all, this three-parter convention was a terrific experience, highlighted by the Friday night Oz Club gathering and the appreciative audience at Kansas State University. I look forward to attending future Oz conventions and getting to know the club members better, although I will be leery of any simultaneously scheduled events. Oh, sure, I was most understandably overshadowed by those legendary MGM Munchkins in Wamego. I just wish I hadn’t been put in that position to begin with.

Ah, well … we live, and we learn.

Sunday morning, we were up again bright and early heading back east on the I-70 Highway to Lawrence, Kansas. This time, I was preparing for an event in my old hometown. But that’s for a forthcoming blog entry—all about the Lawrence Public Library gig. Look for Part Two of my “On the Road” recollections in the coming days.

Cheers!