Event #3124

A Visit to the Land of Oz

Land of Oz, 503 Oz Rd, Beech Mountain, NC

Registered Boxes: All Traditional HH/Cootie/Flea Postal LTC Event Box Traveler Other

Starts	Sat June 14, 2014 11:00am
Ends	Sat June 14, 2014 4:00pm
Owner	RDHG
Admins	RDHG
Signups	56/∞
Location	Land of Oz, 503 Oz Rd, Beech Mountain, NC View Map
Add to Calendar	Google calendar ICS file (e.g. Outlook, iCal, etc.)

Description

Did you know that there was a theme park in the mountains of North Carolina that was a popular tourist attraction in the 1970s? Did you know that the theme of said park was The Wizard of Oz?

"OZ was operational from 1970-80, but changing times, economics, liabilities, maintenance, and other interests of its owners, along with the lack of change at OZ, took their toll on the park."

While this tourist attraction is no longer open to the public, what remains can be booked for private parties. Sooo...guess who is going to go visit the park, tour the grounds, walk around, and hunt for some boxes? Letterboxers, of course!

Here are the details:
1. The fee to attend is $10 per person. This is what the park charges, yet you will need to send RDHG the money since the contract for this event is with D, and D has to get a final head count and remaining money to the park June 1st.
2. We will be able to picnic at the park, so feel free to pack a picnic lunch, lawn chairs, whatever you need.
3. One of the features of the park is Dorothy's house, which can be rented for occasions. Since we have a minimum of thirty people, the park will NOT rent out the house so that we can tour it ourselves. Additionally, there is a bathroom in Dorothy's house. (Good to know.)

This is going to be such a fun and unique event location, and who does not like The Wizard of Oz?

When you are ready, please send your $10 per person to Dawnmarie at 116 Grand Bay Dr, Mooresville NC 28117

Oh, and we will need boxes, so if you would like to contribute one, please see the tracker. Thank you! 8^)

PS The address is listed here on the event page, but I was asked to suggest to you to use the directions from the web site and not to MapQuest them. The web site is www.EmeraldMtn.com -- enjoy looking around!

Feb 27, 2014: 108 days!
Good morning, Everyone! Can you believe that there are 108 days left until we visit the Land of Oz? We have some great boxes on the way, and I am excited for everyone to visit the park.

Please note that there are about two weeks left to get me your ten dollars per person. I need to pay in mid-March, AND if at least thirty of us go, then we will have Dorothy's house all to ourselves. If we have less than thirty people, then they reserve the right to rent Dorothy's house out for another private party since that is a money maker for them.

Please invite your boxing buddies. Feel free to dress up or accessorize Oz style. How excited are you? Hehe...we're off to see the wizard!

Mar 5, 2014: Lodging Ideas
Greetings! As promised, I phoned Oz and asked for lodging ideas. These are the suggestions that I received.

Camping:
Grandfather Campground is about twenty to twenty-five minutes from Oz. This is said to be the nicest campground and has a rive that runs through it.

About thirty to forty-five minutes away are also a KOA in Boone or Blowing Rock.

Lodging:
Beech Alpen Inn 828-387-2251 or 2252
This has the feel of a Swiss mountain inn.

Archers Inn 828-898-9004
A country inn with pine paneling, great view, pub and restaurant.

Pinnacle Inn 828-387-2231
This is the most comtemporary of the inns.

Hopefully that will help. Since one of you emailed and asked, so far we have nine paid reservations with nine days to go. Some of you have emailed that yours are on the way. Thank you! We have nine days left to get up to thirty so that I can make the payment and secure Dorothy's house for us. HOW EXCITED ARE WE?!

Apr 7, 2014: Thinking of arriving in character?
For fun, maybe you can take this absolutely pointless quiz and find out which character you might be. <wink> Sixty-eight more days!

Apr 15, 2014: 60 Days Until Oz Update
Can you believe it? Here are a few notes.

1. We reached thirty people in time. Whew! Actually, we are at 32. Yay! That means that Dorothy's house will be on our tour. This is important: Please tell me if you paid. We have received some unidentified checks. I do not know everybody's real names and want to be sure to assign the tickets to the right people.

2. FYI, if you have not paid yet, monies are due by the beginning of June, so please keep that in your mind. Then we have to give a final head count and pay the balance for our event. The mailing address is 116 Grand Bay Dr, Mooresville, NC 28117.

3. For those sending boxes or raffle items, the deadline is May 17th. We plan to organize and plant in May because Markuss is set to arrive at the beginning of June. He usually arrives at the end of June, thus the mid-June event date, but it looks like he will be attending his first Lb event. I wonder what he will think of all of the people digging around in dirt and plants. LOL.

4. For some added fun, if you want to, you can purchase a ticket for $10 to ride a ski lift up the mountain to the event. The ticket is good for one trip up and one trip back down. Otherwise, driving up the mountain is fine. You do not need to decide that now since you can do that the day of the event.

Excited? Time is winding down. Thank you bunches for joining us on this unique adventure. Feel free to ask questions, and keep inviting your friends!

May 16, 2014: Reminders
Greetings, Folks! This is a quick reminder that payment for this event is due June 1st. Then I have to get the guest list submitted.

Two things were in the contract that I signed today that I need to let you know. 1. NO PETS. 2. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. These both make sense given where we are going, but I am letting you know since it was brought to my attention.

How many of you are planning something sneaky? A costume? A prop? Something else? Hehe. WHO IS GETTING SUPER EXCITED?

May 27, 2014: Weeee're off to see....
We went to Emerald Mountain this past weekend and planted as many boxes as we could. I am still waiting for some to arrive, so we will have to go back up there. However, here are some notes:

We received two checks for which I am not sure of trail names. One is for two people from B.H. in VA for two people, and one is for two people in Lenoir, NC. Please tell me if they are you. All other people paid should be noted on the event page. Other payments need to be received by June 1st so that I may pay our balance.

We did not mark that event boxes and table tops are welcome because there is not really a place to have them. Of course, exchanges can be done anywhere. 8^)

The event is scheduled from 11:00 to 4:00. If you want to bring a bag lunch, then feel free. There are benches scattered around the park where you can relax. Another option would be to eat before and then after the event.

We suggest meeting starting at 10:30 at the parking area (more details sent when we get closer) so that we can give you clues and help everyone get started. We will wrap up hunting at 3:30 and then meet somewhere to do giveaways and raffles before we have to clear out at 4:00.

If you like history and nostalgia, then this places is going to be a treat for you. The people who own it were planting flowers when we were there Saturday, and I look forward to seeing how it looks when we return. Thank you all for deciding to go out and play at the Land of Oz!

May 30, 2014: For those planning to stay several days....
Here are some happenings in the area.
http://www.beechmtn.com/things-to-do/familymonth

Also remember that ski lift will be available if you wanted to enjoy the scenery from the sky in lieu of driving all of the way up.

Jun 10, 2014: Post Event Early Dinner
We have less than four days! Are you ready? Are you excited? Are you having a chat with the rain clouds and telling them that you would appreciate their kindness if they wait until after the weekend to visit?

For those who want to extend the day beyond The Land of Oz and have more fun with your boxing buds, Colorful Caterpillars is organizing a dinner, and you are all invited and encouraged to attend. You can sign up here, and more details will be coming very soon.

Clues will be given out at the event, and some will be posted there, so please do not worry about planning ahead. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Payments Received:
RDHG (3)
Colorful Caterpillars (1)
GA Candy Girl (2)
Southern Oracle (2)
musicpals (2)
tybec (2)
2 FOR THE ROAD (2)
Fish's Card Room (2)
tigerlilly (1)
THE RED CYCLONE (1)
grumpyfaux (1)
Peacereen (2)
No Borders (2)
Rottie Love (4)
Pugs and Bee (2)
carry on grandma (2)
JustHappy2CYa (2)
grandmaandlovinit (1)
avonmomma (1)
tabby2 (1)
BEJays (2)
Twinlove (1)
MaeMae87 (1)
NanaBonBon (1)
dixie darlin (1)
snake dancer (1)
Celtic Cat (1)
MP Girl (1)
Helm's Flying Adventure (4)
Mei Mary Poppins (2)
oceanwinds (1)
oak (1)
Geometry Junkie (2)
Mommy's HERBs (1)

Jun 14, 2014: Today and Good Night
Thank you to those of you who joined us today, had a blast, and shared the joy of Oz. It was a treat to meet so many of you who are new (to us) boxing buddies and to see some of our fun regulars. R was sort of quiet and behind the scenes, but was a wonderful and amazing co-host. H and M definitely had a super fun time. The drive home was hard for me (too much sun and not enough sleep), and I am heading to sleep. Tomorrow is Father's Day, so I may not get the boxes listed until Monday. HOWEVER, I will send a note to you all when they are ready to be logged. Be safe, and have a wonderful finish to your weekend. Until the next time...happy trails!

Signups

Total signups:56