Join us for our 2025 convention! This year’s event promises an unforgettable experience in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where the Baum family once lived. Our opening reception is set in a gallery filled with original Oz art. The K.O. Lee Public Library’s L. Frank Baum Collection includes treasures to be found nowhere else. We’ll enjoy a private tour of area Baum sites with a visit to the Land of Oz during the annual Storybook Festival together with presentations by leading Baum authorities, a concert of Baum songs, a gala Saturday dinner, and so much more. Whether you’re a lifelong Oz enthusiast or discovering Oz for the first time, you’ll find friendship, fun, and fascinating insights at every turn. Don’t miss this chance to connect with fellow fans, explore Oz history, and celebrate Baum’s enduring legacy. Sign up today and follow the Yellow Brick Road to Aberdeen.
Don’t delay, the first 25 registrants get a free copy of the Oz in Aberdeen catalog of the library’s collection, and the first 40 registrants get a copy of the Aberdeen Mother Goose in Prose.
A quick overview of the incredible events we already have planned:
Thursday, July 17
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- 5:30 pm: An opening reception with the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center (ARC) Gallery, featuring “Eclectic Oz,” an exhibit of original artwork from the collection of convention chairman Jane Albright.
- Enjoy the rest of the evening at your leisure with Ozzy friends and check out some dining options in downtown Aberdeen.
Friday, July 18
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- Join the Club and our partners at the O. Lee Library for a day focused on Baum’s time in Aberdeen. First up are noted scholars Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner and Michael Patrick Hearn sharing their personal memories of life-long Aberdeen resident (and niece of Frank and Maud), Matilda Jewell Gage.
- Next up, learn about the library’s L. Frank Baum Collection, as presented by Assistant Library Director Cara Perrion. Afterwards, we’ll be able to break off into small groups to view the collection more closely.
- We have some fabulous presentations to follow that afternoon:
- Michael Patrick Hearn with “Baum’s Aberdeen Years.”
- Oz Club President Ryan Bunch presenting on Baum’s controversial Wounded Knee editorials from his newspaper The Saturday Evening Pioneer, followed by a discussion with Nancy Tystad Koupaland Rob Lauer on Baum’s “Our Landlady” columns.
- We’ll be ending the afternoon on a high note, with a 1970 episode from the old “Death Valley Days” television series that fictionalized Baum’s time there in “The Wizard of Aberdeen.”
- In the evening, we’ll be returning to the ARC ballroom for dinner, followed by Club members performing scenes from Rob Lauer’s adaptation of “Prelude to Oz.”
- Finally, noted performer Bob Lamont will be taking the stage to wrap up our evening of fun with a concert of Baum songs, “On to the Next One: L. Frank Baum’s Musical Travels.”
Saturday, July 19
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- We’ll be hopping on a bus and exploring Aberdeen with local historian Troy McQuillen, who will be guiding us through a tour of sites associated with Baum’s Dakota year.
- Next, we’ll be following the Yellow Brick Road all the way to Wylie Park’s Land of Oz—during their annual Storybook Land Festival—where we’ll be adding a few stories from Baum’s Mother Goose in Prose to our afternoon.
- Our evening will be spent at a glorious Emerald City Gala at the ARC ballroom. In addition to the opportunity to feast with all our Ozzy friends, there will be a fundraising auction, Oz Club contests and L. Frank Baum Memorial Award announcements, and some additional programming (keep your eyes open for more announcements!).
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Sunday, July 20
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- Our final day in Aberdeen! Pending its scheduled international release, we’ll be watching the new Russian live-action film of The Wizard of the Emerald City at the K. O. Lee Library.
- After lunch, Sally Roesch Wagner will be presenting “The Wonderful Mother of Oz.”
- Finally, we’ll be wrapping up our magical weekend in Oz with Otis Frampton (The Patchwork Girl of Oz, Image Comics, 2025), and a presentation by Don Billie (Margaret Hamilton From Cleveland, 2024).
As always, plans are subject to change. Additional presentations have been proposed and, as they are finalized, we’ll make every effort to include them. Follow OzClub.org and our Facebook page for updates.