Jean Nelson

In 1973, Jean Nelson moved to Chesterton where she loved being in the heart of the Indiana Dunes. By 1978, her children were grown and she had lots of time on her hands. Jean decided to open a shop to sell craft dolls and dollhouse furniture because she loved the world of fantasy which dolls and dollhouses create. Picking the shop's name was a challenge. One night, still not sure of a name, Jean dreamt of the Wicked Witch of the West. The next morning she named her shop, The Yellow Brick Road. A perfect name, Jean thought, what better avenue could there be to fantasy than a yellow brick road? When the Yellow Brick Road opened, the shop had no Wizard of Oz items; it only carried dolls, doll furniture and miniatures. Then the unexpected happened. Customers asked if Jean had Oz items for sale. It happened so often that she ordered a few Oz items and soon the store carried more Oz than dolls and doll furniture! Jean’s own interest in Oz merchandising and collecting increased. She loved the gleeful reaction of adults as well as children when they spied the Oz goods and collectibles. There was still a demand for other fantasy stock. Jean struck on the co-op plan -- a fantasy co-op gift shop! She sought out people who were as dedicated to their areas of fantasy as she was to Oz fantasy. In 1980, Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West herself, made a suprise visit. She came to see what the fantasy gift shop was all about. She endeared herself to all by sitting in the store and chatting with staff and customers for hours. When the Duneland area suffered the effects of the steel mill layoffs and closings in the early 1980s, it was logical for Jean to try to cheer everybody up. On a Saturday afternoon in 1981, she arranged for a few Oz oriented activities and, with the help of several downtown storeowners, held the first Chesterton Wizard of Oz Festival. That Saturday afternoon event attended by under a thousand people grew to a three-day affair attracting between 80,000 and 100,000 people. The Yellow Brick Road moved from downtown Chesterton to its own grounds two miles south of town. The festival continued to grow and grew too large for Jean to handle, even with the help of a strong committee of volunteers, businesses and civic groups. In 1994, the Duneland Chamber of Commerce became the official sponsor of the Chesterton Wizard of Oz Festival. In 1995, Jean founded the Munchkinland Market Days Festival to accommodate the many people who made their way to The Yellow Brick Road from downtown each year during the Wizard of Oz Festival. The festivals were held concurrently. At the close of the 2004 festival, Lakeshore Festival & Events became producers of the Oz Festival. After the 2005 Oz Festival, it was determined that the festival would move to the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso and be called the Indiana Wizard of Oz Festival. On January 1, 2001, Gerard ‘Jerry’ Bishop and Marilyn Zengler bought the Yellow Brick Road. In 2004, Jerry passed away. In 2008, the failing economy brought an end to the 30 year old Yellow Brick Road which closed on December 31 while continuing on the Internet at www.yellowbrickroadonline.com. LFE also made the decision to cease proudcing the Indiana Wizard of Oz Festival. Early in 2009 a dedicated group of businesspeople made the decision to bring the Chesterton Wizard of Oz Festival back to downtown Chesterton and the Duneland Business Initiative Group formed a committee of hard working, dedicated volunteers to make it happen! Jean, now fully retired, is pleased to see the Oz tradition being continued. Biography by Allen Pease

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