Oz Club members David and Karen Diket are hosting the third annual Oz on the Bayou 
event for fans Feb. 15-16 in Gray, Louisiana. Timed to follow on the heels of both Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day, your New Orleans adventure offers a Thursday/Friday event serving up Oz fun with a Tin Woodman theme.
The Terrebonne Parish North Branch Library’s display cases are now filled with Oz. You’ll see selections from the collections of the Dikets, Mary Pertuit, Catherine Bryan, and Linda Rodrigue. A big hit in past years, a display scavenger hunt will be a convention activity.
New this year is an art show following a call for entries the Dikets released this year for area high school students.
Karen tells me other planned activities include a discussion of The Tin Woodman of Oz, viewing some of the Sci-fi miniseries Tin Man as well as favorite Tin Man moments that mix up everything from the classic MGM film to Heartless and Pentatonix. A school theater group will do readings from The Tin Woodman of Oz, and knowing the Dikets I’d consider it a safe bet to expect live music. A recap of the Club’s 2017 National Convention will whet your appetite for OzCon International this summer.
Adult and child craft projects, children’s story telling, and a book discussion are organized as joint activities with the library.
The event is free and open to the public.
In addition to the planned program, you can join others for Cajun food at the Bayou Delight restaurant Friday night, and get a feel for life in the old south Saturday with a tour of the Ardoyne Plantation.
I attended their 2016 event and had a blast! The exhibit was impressive, live performances beautifully done, and I’ll never forget feeding alligators on a tour of the bayou. Check those flights into New Orleans; there’s still time to join the party!
