It’s Always Best To Start At The Beginning…!
After the success of the nearby Tweetsie Railroad Theme Park in Blowing Rock, NC, Grover Robbins purchases land on top of Beech Mountain with the hopes to turn it into a new tourist destination.
Photo by Hugh Morton (Courtesy of UNC Library)
Jack Pentes is brought to the top of Beech Mountain to come up with an idea of how to make it a summer attraction. He saw the natural terrain, tall emerald grass, and twisted trees, and said it was The Land of Oz. At the same time, land was leased from the Page Hufty Family, who had recently acquired it, to begin site plans and design concepts for Oz.
Construction begins on Land of Oz. Pentes would design the park with his associate, Joe Sonderman. New music and lyrics would be written for the park by Loonis McGlohon and Alec Wilder, with choreography by Alice Leggett LaMar.
Judy Garland passes away. Jack adds the Judy Garland Memorial Overlook in her honor. Ray Bolger (the film’s Scarecrow) breaks ground on it, and Austin Fox would create a bronze bust of her as Dorothy.
Grover Robbins, the man who greenlit Oz, would pass away just before opening.
The Land of Oz has a soft opening before the Emerald City or balloon ride are ready. An immediate hit, it draws 4,000 people, earning it the Washington Post’s title of Number One Tourist Attraction.
The official ribbon cutting ceremony with Debbie Reynolds takes place. She would have her daughter, Carrie Fisher, with her. Reynolds co-owned many of the film costumes on display in the park’s small museum, including one of Judy Garland’s Dorothy dresses.
Oz is a success and sees a great first few years averaging 450,000 guests a season. It became cover stories for Southern Living, Holiday Inn, and Friends Magazines.
The gas crisis would affect ticket sales, but the park pushes onward.
Carolina Caribbean Corporation, the company who developed Beech Mountain into a tourist destination and built Oz, goes bankrupt due to failed investments.
A fire is set to the Emerald City, and the museum is ransacked. The main building that housed the park’s offices, costumes, sound system, and amphitheater stage was destroyed along with an adjoining gift shop. Many film costumes were stolen including the Dorothy dress and bronze bust.
Oz is purchased by TriSouth of Atlanta, one of the original investors. Construction on a new Emerald City began that April.
Emerald City is completed in 3 months, and the park reopens with new costumes and added attractions, including Professor Marvel’s Wagon, a puppet show, and a sleight-of-hand magic show. Dorothy would now walk guests through the park, when previously she was not seen until the Emerald City show.
Oz would continue, but quality control would diminish. Money was not going back into park maintenance, renovations, or added attractions. It would look run down and become known as a "tourist trap," and attendance would plummet.
Jack Pentes is brought in to see what could be done to Oz to revitalize it. He came up with a 10-year plan for added and new attractions and estimated it would cost $3 million to bring Oz up to speed for an opening in 1981.
Three weeks before the end of the season, it was announced to cast and Land of Oz employees that the park would close for good. It was officially announced to the general public at the beginning of 1981.
Oz would lay abandoned, succumbing to the harsh weather conditions and vandals.
Photos Courtesy of M. Redlich
After reverting to the original landowner, plans were created for a gated community on the mountain. Developers dismantle both Emerald City and the Balloon Ride, but they emphasize preserving most of Oz, focusing on building the community around the Yellow Brick Road.
A reunion of original park employees, known as the "Ozzies," occurred. This would spark interest in reopening the park on a smaller scale.
Photos courtesy of Lucy Peterson Bowen
Oz opens to the public for a one-day walk-through. It draws almost 4,000 people in one day.
The very first Autumn at Oz Festival occurs. It would be so successful, it would become an annual event. Cindy Keller would produce the event for over 20 years.
Frances "Archie" Hufty Leidy assumed ownership of the park and continued to run Autumn at Oz yearly with Cindy Keller.
Journey with Dorothy is offered for select days in June to cater to popular demand. This event featured Dorothy tour guides and guests participating as the other characters.
The Autumn at Oz Festival has grown from a one-day event to multiple weekends each fall.
New costumes would be designed by Project Runway’s Austin Scarlett.
We were incredibly thankful for the outpouring of support during the 30th Anniversary of the Autumn at Oz Festival with a sellout of all dates!
Currently, the continuity of land ownership has remained within the Hufty-Leidy family since 1966. Archie subsequently passed Oz down to her children Page, Carter, and Francie who operate Land of Oz to this day.
Sixty years on, the Yellow Brick Road still winds through Beech Mountain — and every autumn, we walk it together.
