Join members of the International Wizard of Oz Club August 5-7.. 2011 as we meet in Banner Elk. The Friday evening program is all about the park. Saturday we'll tour the grounds. A much smaller event than Autumn in Oz, we will be recreating as much as we can of the 70s experience; cast members will wear replicas of the vintage costumes and perform the numbers written for the park. Follow IWOC Convention plans on Facebook. We'd love to include you.
Yesterday found 3 color guides to the park from 1970/71... which made me think to check youtube again. Thanks for posting!! If I could go back in time to any childhood experience, the Land of Oz would be it. Was fantastic, silly, terrifying, funny, thrilling...
Back in the late 80's I was a ski instructor at Beech and used to tell tales of the park. We had a big snow one month and 2 friends and I went exploring and found the old trees, some of the castle, the road etc. Ah the past.
Thank you. Like caskey, the commenter below,I went there many times as a child, and snuck onto the grounds twice, after the park's closing. Very eerie experience. Glad it is celebrated annually. Was never really satisfied with the arson investigation.
They've restored much of it, and if you look it up online you can find out when it's open. :) It's a HUUGE festival, not a theme park, but I've read that it's just as magical as before. :)
Great video! The company I work with just developed an attraction at Beech Mtn, for the summer and I heard about this. Yesterday we stumbled upon OZ and were thrilled. What we thought was going to be a day of looking at leaves turned into the excitement of Disney World for my kids, wife and myself! I can only imagine how fun it was 35 years ago.
This is great, thank you for sharing!!!! We loved that place, I always liked it better than Tweetsie!!! For those needing a new place to visit, go to Ghost Town in Maggie Valley. It is an exciting, clean place with the kindest ppl!!! You will not be disappointed!!!
Can I get up with you and buy a copy of this? I would love to have your footage and mine on one DVD! I will be glad to pay you to get a copy of the original footage. I have a DVD/DVR I could bring to copy it to. Do you still have the orig. film and projector?
i loooove the land of oz. i am happy to see this video of the old park. i go every year when its open. i am also a collecter of items that came from park.
My sis and I went last year during their "once-a-year" opening. The best theme park I've ever been to. It's a total EVENT. A lot of time and effort went into the whole experience. It was worth the trip. I heard they're closing the park; what a shame :-(
Wow,I didn't know the cast used make up!I'm sure your film was from the early 70's!
I enjoyed going up to Beech several times over several years as a young boy.My sister's friend and I went up there on a off season one year while the park was closed and looked around ONLY!,boy that was eerie but neat!Thanks for sharing a bit of local history,if it wasn't for looking for Tweetsie film,I might not have found this great stuff!Wish their was some more 8-16mm film out there,I found just one more!
Wow,I don't even remember the puppet show or the cast having make up.I guess this was the very early years of Land of OZ.
I went up there when I was about ten years old!Thanks a bunch for sharing this old 8mm film.If it wasn't for looking at Tweetsie footage,this wouldn't have come to mind.I did know the Robbins family started Land of OZ!It's to bad Tweetsie couldn't have a little spot for another Land of OZ up at Tweetsie RR.I wouldn't take back those days as a little boy up on that Mtn!
That was truly a SPECIAL theme park, and I was lucky enough to have visited 2-3 times in the early 1970s. What a treat finding this and thank you for sharing and uploading. They do open 2 days a year first week of October at Beech Mountain, NC. About half of the park remains since its closing in 1980.
Join members of the International Wizard of Oz Club August 5-7.. 2011 as we meet in Banner Elk. The Friday evening program is all about the park. Saturday we'll tour the grounds. A much smaller event than Autumn in Oz, we will be recreating as much as we can of the 70s experience; cast members will wear replicas of the vintage costumes and perform the numbers written for the park. Follow IWOC Convention plans on Facebook. We'd love to include you.
CommentsFromOz 1 year ago
Yesterday found 3 color guides to the park from 1970/71... which made me think to check youtube again. Thanks for posting!! If I could go back in time to any childhood experience, the Land of Oz would be it. Was fantastic, silly, terrifying, funny, thrilling...
Back in the late 80's I was a ski instructor at Beech and used to tell tales of the park. We had a big snow one month and 2 friends and I went exploring and found the old trees, some of the castle, the road etc. Ah the past.
petrarchian 1 year ago
Thank you. Like caskey, the commenter below,I went there many times as a child, and snuck onto the grounds twice, after the park's closing. Very eerie experience. Glad it is celebrated annually. Was never really satisfied with the arson investigation.
brettthebad 1 year ago
Sure brings back memories. I miss that place. I wish it were still there for my grandkids to see...
yukonjr 2 years ago
They do still open it once every October!! :)
They've restored much of it, and if you look it up online you can find out when it's open. :) It's a HUUGE festival, not a theme park, but I've read that it's just as magical as before. :)
aekid17 1 year ago
Great video! The company I work with just developed an attraction at Beech Mtn, for the summer and I heard about this. Yesterday we stumbled upon OZ and were thrilled. What we thought was going to be a day of looking at leaves turned into the excitement of Disney World for my kids, wife and myself! I can only imagine how fun it was 35 years ago.
der10696 2 years ago
WOW i went there in the 70's......
mmrm 2 years ago
This is great, thank you for sharing!!!! We loved that place, I always liked it better than Tweetsie!!! For those needing a new place to visit, go to Ghost Town in Maggie Valley. It is an exciting, clean place with the kindest ppl!!! You will not be disappointed!!!
wendymm1 2 years ago
Can I get up with you and buy a copy of this? I would love to have your footage and mine on one DVD! I will be glad to pay you to get a copy of the original footage. I have a DVD/DVR I could bring to copy it to. Do you still have the orig. film and projector?
Would love to hear back from you.
Thanks,
Larry
yamonsz3 2 years ago
i love this video. i am a big land of oz park fan.
19611987oz 2 years ago
i love the old 70's land of oz park. i go every time its open.
19611987oz 2 years ago
i loooove the land of oz. i am happy to see this video of the old park. i go every year when its open. i am also a collecter of items that came from park.
19611987oz 2 years ago
My sis and I went last year during their "once-a-year" opening. The best theme park I've ever been to. It's a total EVENT. A lot of time and effort went into the whole experience. It was worth the trip. I heard they're closing the park; what a shame :-(
FLBoy46 3 years ago
Wow,I didn't know the cast used make up!I'm sure your film was from the early 70's!
I enjoyed going up to Beech several times over several years as a young boy.My sister's friend and I went up there on a off season one year while the park was closed and looked around ONLY!,boy that was eerie but neat!Thanks for sharing a bit of local history,if it wasn't for looking for Tweetsie film,I might not have found this great stuff!Wish their was some more 8-16mm film out there,I found just one more!
sillywesties 3 years ago
Did Dorothy even have silver shoes like in the book?! That's neat. ^^
saintfighteraqua 3 years ago
Thanks for postin! I used to go there as a child and lived not too far from there in Elizabethton, Tennessee
unaka1983 3 years ago
Wow,I don't even remember the puppet show or the cast having make up.I guess this was the very early years of Land of OZ.
I went up there when I was about ten years old!Thanks a bunch for sharing this old 8mm film.If it wasn't for looking at Tweetsie footage,this wouldn't have come to mind.I did know the Robbins family started Land of OZ!It's to bad Tweetsie couldn't have a little spot for another Land of OZ up at Tweetsie RR.I wouldn't take back those days as a little boy up on that Mtn!
Ken
sillywesties 3 years ago
I went to Land of Oz as a child every year.
I still go every year to Autumn at Oz and now I take my 6 yr old son.
We have have the only two videos on the internet. Would love to get a copy of what you have on DVD.
Thanks for sharing the memories!
Larry
Cherryville, NC
yamonsz3 3 years ago
That was truly a SPECIAL theme park, and I was lucky enough to have visited 2-3 times in the early 1970s. What a treat finding this and thank you for sharing and uploading. They do open 2 days a year first week of October at Beech Mountain, NC. About half of the park remains since its closing in 1980.
domm1999 3 years ago
I went here as a little girl! Thanks for the memories!
LuAnn40 3 years ago
Thanks for posting! I am scouring the internet!
caskey 3 years ago