Richard Skipper Celebrates Sean Barrett and The Land of Oz 10/13/2022

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The Land of Oz is now owned and operated by the Leidy family with the artistic direction of Sean Barrett. While Land of Oz is not a fully functioning theme park, it offers many public events that celebrate the magic and legacy of all things Oz, including the 29th Annual Autumn at Oz Festival which just ran for three weekends this September. Here about my own adventures in Oz when I was a kid in Conway, SC! The former Land of Oz theme park that operated during the 1970s atop Beech Mountain reopens occasionally for us to follow the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City to see the Wizard. Over the years, Autumn at Oz (photos on this page) has grown from a small reunion of former employees to a celebration that draws huge crowds for a nostalgic stroll through the remains of the popular Land of Oz theme park that closed in 1980. It was a living adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel, “The Wonderful World of Oz,” upon which the 1939 film is based (celebrating its 80th anniversary!). The park atop the mile-high summit reopens only for two special events. Beech Mountain is about 80 miles north of Asheville. A lifelong fan of the Wizard of Oz, Sean's history with the Land of Oz spans over 20 years, where he began working at the Autumn at Oz Festival as the Scarecrow at the age of 15 from 2001-2014. He now is the artistic director and executive producer for the festival, which has grown from a 2-day event to 3 weekends in recent years. Other credentials include The Oz Project, a music video combining music from The Wiz and Wizard of Oz for Playbill.com featuring an all Broadway cast.