KIMBALL, Minn. — Holland's long-kept secret, inspiring L. Frank Baum to write "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," is not only out, but will displayed in grand fashion downtown this summer.
The city's homage to Oz is rolling out over the next few months; the marquee piece being a collection of character statues.
"Holland doesn't just do tourist attractions, we want to tell stories," said Mayor Nancy De Boer. "And this is our authentic story."
Bronze statues of Dorthy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, a fighting tree and a flying monkey will stand outside Herrick District Library on S River Avenue.
The characters are based off the original illustrations by William Denslow, said Nick Christensen, production manager at Brodin Studios in Kimball, Minn.
"They won't be familiar with the movie, they're different than that," Christensen said. "People that have seen the book, they'll know exactly what they are."
The team at Brodin Studios makes statues for public safety agencies, including the "Protector" statue outside the Holland Department of Public Safety building on W 8th Street. Their pieces are on display all over the country.
Brodin only takes on special projects, like Oz, a couple times a year.
"Everything has its own challenges," Christensen said. "It's a one-off and unique, but always nice to see it done because we've never done one like that before."
Looking around the statues in Holland, Brodin bubbled to the top of the list, said Sally Laukitis, executive director of the Holland Area Visitors Bureau.
"The fact that [they] know our community because they do have a statue here is wonderful," Laukitis said. "We knew the work, we knew how the work stood up."
Digital images of the life-sized sculptures were completed in April. Pieces were then 3D-printed to be made into molds.
"Everybody here will have hands on it," Christensen said. "There's 10 employees...and everyone has their niche with what they do. They go through every phase."
The statues are expected to be complete in the middle of August.
They'll be installed across the street from a display containing a yellow brick road and a large Wizard of Oz book cover in Centennial Park. The yellow brick road has already been placed, and the book is coming in early June.
"We’re building excitement in stages and all of this is happening in the summer during our busy time," Laukitis said. "[It will] showcase a part of our community that maybe a lot of people aren't aware of."
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