Wamego Tulip Festival Without Blooms

Local tulips before the festival.

The festival was a success but the tulips weren't blooming. They are only now beginning to bloom, primarily in sheltered locations.

The festival area is also Wamego city park. It is bordered by playgrounds, a windmill on a mound, and the History Museum. The museum is a collection of artifacts not necessarily from Kansas, although most were donated by local residents.

Lathe at the Wamego History Museum.

Surrey with a fringe on top.

Down the street from the park (and the festival) is the Oz Museum. They nearly owned the original Judy Garland ruby slippers. Unfortunately, the shoes were stolen two weeks before they were due at the museum. Although (as you will learn in the museum) in the book they were silver shoes, not ruby slippers. The ruby slippers came into being to take advantage of newly discovered technicolor film.

There are as many aspects of Oz as can be crammed into one residential home-sized space. There are niches for sections of the story: the witch dies, munchkins, the tin man, the scarecrow, etc. All nicely done and off limits for touching. There is also a dark, scary Haunted Forest section complete with warning sign. One young visitor could only be coaxed through while holding her father's hand.

Most sincerely dead.

Shelves of books (behind glass) show early editions of all the books Frank Baum wrote. There are a lot. Besides the Oz books, there is an extensive series for young girls written under a pseudonym. Other items behind glass include a death certificate for the Wicked Witch of the West, playbills and photos from stage productions, a pair of ruby slippers (not from the movie), and a case of genuine "Wicked" stage props.

Original art work from the Wizard of Oz books.

Pay no attention to the man
behind the curtain.
Sit in the chair and be the Wizard!

Admission is $7. A good place for a rainy day. If the admission seems unreasonable, you can see the Munchkin prints in the cement outside and purchase souvenirs in the gift shop.

Sometimes the tulips do bloom for the festival. This year winter stayed longer than usual. No one seemed put out by the lack of blooms. There were numerous booths and lots of handcrafts to choose from. There was carnival (festival) food. You could eat as many funnel cakes as you like, provided you were willing to wait in line. I opted for the barbecue which had the virtue of being the shortest line. Being made ahead, I didn't have to wait for the order to be cooked.

It was a true Kansas experience.

A blooming tulip discovered at the festival.