Monday, July 1, 2019

Judy Garland Letter from Home - Festival Report & News!


Happy summer!

The Judy Garland Festival was a great success with many visitors and happy times for people from Maine to California and not a few in-between: Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and more. 

So we’ll get right to our report as well as developments on the Judy Garland Birthplace and Garden.

In this Issue
- Judy Garden Birthplace Repair Fundraiser
- Judy Garland Museum Garden
- A New House and Garden Committee
- Garland Festival Success!
- Chasing Rainbows News
- Gift Shop Surprises


Judy Garland Birthplace Repair and Restoration

As most of you know, the Judy Garland Birthplace is in serious need of repair. Fundraising efforts began this spring on GoFundMe. At present, we have raised over $1,000 on this site and an additional several hundred through direct donations at the Judy Garland Museum and during the Youth Wizard of Oz play at the Reif.  Following the Festival, organizer Paul Herrick and Judy’s fans agreed to donate the several thousand raised during the Festival to the House fund as well.

Meanwhile, a great deal more is needed, so fundraising continues.



Judy Garland Museum Garden

For many years now, the garden next to the Judy Garland Birthplace has been owned by the Evergreen Nursing Home. When the Nursing Home was recently sold, it did not include the garden. This June we received news that the owner now wishes to sell the garden. Although it may not be a site conducive for a business, this is not a good thing.

Fundraising efforts have begun to buy the Garden from the owner and keep it as a permanent public garden with the Wizard of Oz theme – a beautiful, restful place for visitors and a fun place for kids. The Judy Garland Birthplace lot ends only ten feet from the house and the beautiful garden effects the views from the historic home. Greenery and flowers in spring and summer, autumn leaves in fall and a forestry snow in winter. Visiting the garden is FREE and open to the public. It is a benefit to the entire community and visitors to Grand Rapids. Different options are still being looked at. To learn more, please visit our GoFundMe page.



Judy Garland Birthplace and Garden Committee

Due to all the work needed to coordinate a Committee for the purpose of coming up with fundraising ideas, promoting the fundraising efforts and organizing estimates by contractors, etc. is being formed. Our Board of Directors has put Michelle Russell in charge of this effort and we are presently looking for committee members. We local people with ideas and connections. Out of town persons may also be able to be involved in the fundraising and idea efforts.

If you, or anyone you know might be someone who would like to be involved, please contact Michelle Russell – catsong2@netzero.net or call/text 218-259-4097.

Our goal is to get the most serious problems completed this year by fall. It has been suggested that we could have a volunteer crew scrape and sand the house. The paint job on the home will involve at least several thousand dollars.

It is also possible that there may be contractors out there who would like to do some volunteer work for the Judy Garland Birthplace, either completely or in part. We are a non-for-profit and so donations of any kind are tax deductible.

If persons wish to donate directly rather than on GoFundMe, they may call us during business hours to charge:  218-327-9275 or

Go to our website:  http://www.judygarlandmuseum.com and donate via PayPal – PLEASE SPECIFY HOUSE or GARDEN

Persons may also mail us a check to the Judy Garland Museum P.O. Box 724, Grand Rapids, MN 55744, again please specify HOUSE or GARDEN

We look forward to having a better report for you within the next month.

Please check our Facebook for updates.  


Judy Garland Festival 2019

2019 marks the 80th anniversary of the classic film, “The Wizard of Oz.” It also marks the 50th Anniversary
of Judy Garland’s passing. Because of that, fans from across the country were anxious to celebrate her life, congregating in larger numbers than were seen in recent years at her far-northern birthplace home-town, Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Thursday
The Festival opened with a bang-up event with Judy at her very finest – The Jack Parr Show from December 1962 – a one hour plus of “sock-o entertainment” as they used to say. John Fricke opened this event with an explanation of where Judy was at this time – only two years from serious illness when she was told she might not live and that she would never work again.

Since that time, she had recorded a voice-over with new songs for the cartoon, “Gay Puree,” (also starring Robert Goulet), and had performed the triumph of her life at Carnegie Hall, releasing a recording of that which brought her a Gold Record and the first Grammy for the live performance by a female artist. In addition she’d lost a great deal of weight and looked fantastic.

Although many people have seen clips of this show, to see the entire show in context on a 10 foot screen was another matter. Her humility, sweetness, humor and amazing performances told an audience who had for the most part never seen her live, what the Garland phenomena was all about. In the end, she and Robert Goulet sing “Mewsette” together in a performance that is show biz perfection. It was a great opening for a Festival that continued from there.

That evening pianist Josh Gallagher, took us through Judy’s performance life by the decade, performing unique jazz renditions of Judy Garland songs. The performance was one that could bring tears, smiles and make you want to dance and Josh Gallagher was rewarded at the conclusion with a standing ovation. By the way, Mr. Gallagher, who has attended and performed at our Festivals for many years will soon be accompanying Wayne Newton in Wisconsin.

Friday
The following day brought a mix of many wonderful events. The morning opened with Judy Jeopardy presented by Paul Herrick and Joe Malinovsky, always great fun for those who partake. The event was filmed by Committee Films, who are working on a documentary about the Ruby Slippers.

Later that day, John Fricke took us to Judy at the Movies with a special program originally prepared for Turner Classic Movies Film Festival. This program, with film clips from 1929 to 1963 and wonderful comments by people who worked with her, brought the audience even closer to Judy Garland. Later in the afternoon, Mr. Fricke gave a talk on Judy entitled: Powerful, Sincere, Fragile, Triumphant, Joyous, Iconic, Legendary.

Finally, that night fans and locals as well enjoyed an amazing evening of music entitled “From Gershwin to
Joan Ellison and Richard Glazier
at the Reif Center
Garland.” Pianist Richard Glazier, who travels the world performing ,was welcomed back after many years along with vocalist Joan Ellison, who has her own Judy Garland  Show. Joan is also working with the Judy Garland Heirs Trust to find and restore many of Judy’s lost orchestrations.

The Mary Ives Theatre at the Reif was nearly full as Richard Glazier not only played piano brilliantly, but told stories about the music and his own life- what had drawn him to the music of George Gershwin and Judy Garland. In a program made specifically for the Judy Garland Festival and Grand Rapids, Mr. Glazier showed us filmed interviews with persons who had worked in Judy’s films or knew her, including Mickey Rooney and Daniel Selznick, (son of David O. Selznick and grandson of MGM studio head, Louis B. Mayer). It was a beautiful event.

Saturday
The final day of the Festival included a wonderful talk by John Fricke – Judy in Concert - with many selections from her television series. The Gumm Family Grand Rapids Bus Tour, which was completely sold out followed. This also was filmed by Committee Films. For those who could get a bus tour ticket or preferred, the very first episode of the Judy Garland Show, which boasted guest Mickey Rooney was shown. Quite a number of people attended this showing.

Later that afternoon there “Singing in Judy’s House.” This event was attended by an amazing 45 people. Josh Gallagher took over the duty of pianist. He began with some wonderful songs that we all know and love and then the requests started. Professional singer Jack Richter got up and sang “Where or When” which got everyone wanting to sing. Later another wonderful singer, Melissa Christopherson, performed Judy’s great hit, “The Man that Got Away.” This event with all its joy, laughter, amazing piano work by Josh Gallagher and wonderful singing by the audience was filmed by Committee Films as well.

That evening the Grand Finale Banquet took place at the Timberlake Lodge. The food was absolutely delicious, the decorations lovely and many expressions of gratitude for how Judy affected lives were made. And finally, it was just nice to share with fellow-fans.

Everyone had such a good time, there was much talk about next year. No announcements have been made as yet.


Chasing Rainbows Reading in Minnesota

Chasing Rainbows is a musical play about young Judy Garland from the time she left Grand Rapids until she receives her ruby slippers on the set of The Wizard of Oz. This show has received many incarnations beginning with its opening in North Carolina a few years back to a second playing of it at the Goodspeed Light Opera in Connecticut about a year ago. Now, in advance of it's Papermill Playhouse New Jersey opening there will be a reading with its star in Excelsior, Minnesota!

There has been much talk of the show going to Broadway – not an easy accomplishment these days with extra huge costs. Meanwhile this year, Judy’s daughters Liza and Lorna gave their approval to the show. Here from John Fricke, who worked on verifying the facts during its original conception is the latest!



Gift Shop Treasures & Souvenirs

Just an extra note regarding our gift shop. Just before the Festival we further organized our collection and found that we had many duplicate Life Magazines and other items that fans might love to collect on Judy.

As always we have a wide selection of books, DVDs, LP Records, CDs, dolls and collectible plates among other things. We cannot put all these things on our website so if you are looking for something in particular, please call us. We ship.

Added to this, we also carry Minnesota and Grand Rapids Souvenirs.


Happy Fourth of July!