HOLLAND, Michigan — Pieces of "Oz" landed in downtown Holland Friday, as crews installed several bronze statues of the book's famous characters.
The statues are the final piece of the city's project that pays tribute to L. Frank Baum, who is believed to have written some of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," while vacationing in Macatawa in the late 1800s.
The statues crystallize Holland's connection to Oz, said Sally Laukitis, executive director of the Holland Area Visitors Bureau.
"Those of us who grew up here or who had connections to Macatawa had always heard about it," Laukitis said. "And it's always interesting to me that nothing had been done about it."
The bronze statues – Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and more – are staged on the north side of Herrick District Library. They arrived from Brodin Studios in Kimball, Minn. early Friday afternoon.
The statues were an opportunity to do something different, said Nick Christensen. He and his team in Minnesota mostly create statues and figures for law enforcement agencies and first responders.
"It looks a lot different than a firefighter or a police officer, which we do a lot of," Christensen said. "And it comes with its own set of challenges because everything we do is basically a prototype, one-off. But it's a very interesting, unique project."
The statues line a yellow brick road, which is mirrored across the street in a display with a 10-by-12 floral mosaic book cover. They are based on illustrations from the book rather than the movie characters.
"I watched 'The Wizard of Oz' when I was a kid numerous times," Christensen said. "It does bring back memories from childhood, which is really unique. Everybody knows it, so it's a special thing to do."
This story, which was kept relatively quiet for so long, is finally coming to life in Holland, said Mayor Nancy De Boer.
"It's a positive story, it's inspiring," De Boer said. "We love to be able to get kids to the library [and] help them get inspired to be leaders and to find courage to do what they want to do."
The visitors bureau is planning a marketing strategy around the Oz statues, Laukitis said. The official ribbon cutting for the display is set for Sept. 28.
"It adds another reason to come to Holland," she said.
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