« Return to Home

Oz Theme Park

More about Oz

Wonderful World of Oz Official site for the theme park near DeSoto. Wonderful World of Ooze Opponents of the park TOTO, Inc. Taxpayers Opposed To Oz The Wizard of Oz Warner Bros. movie site. Informational and educational sites: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website Wendy's Wonderful Wizard of Oz Complete Directory (Includes 1939 MGM script) Introducing: The Mag Online

Tribe: Casino not the plan for Sunflower plant site
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
By Dave Ranney

A spokesman for the Oklahoma-based Shawnee tribe said Tuesday that there were no plans to build a casino on the site of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition plant. "I know that's the bugaboo in everybody's mind on this deal, but, really, there's been no discussion of that in regards to Sunflower whatsoever," said Greg Pitcher, head of the Shawnee tribe's development corporation.

Developers want Sunflower site
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
By Mike Belt

Kansas City real estate developers have a plan for the defunct Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant near DeSoto that doesn't involve a yellow brick road. The proposal from Kessinger/Hunter & Co. and its financier, Cherokee Investment Partners, asks the state to transfer the heavily polluted land to them.

DeSoto examines future of Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant
Tuesday, January 15, 2002
By Matt Merkel-Hess

With the Wonderful World of Oz theme park out of the picture, the questions is, what's next for the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant? Although no plan is set, DeSoto Mayor Dave Anderson said he is willing to take a leadership role on the issue.

Curtain comes down on Oz
Sunday, December 30, 2001
By Dave Ranney

As every school child knows, at the end of the Frank Baum story, the wizard of Oz turns out to be a common, wrinkled old man behind a curtain. Some are having a hard time avoiding the parallel between the story's ending and that provided for the Wonderful World of Oz theme park in a last letter from chief Oz developer Robert Kory to investors in the $863 million resort.

Oz company quits, urges legal action
Friday, December 28, 2001
By Richard Brack

The company that has been trying to build a Wonderful World of Oz theme park near DeSoto has pulled the plug on the project and is encouraging investors to take legal action against Johnson County.
In a letter to investors obtained Thursday evening by the Journal-World, Oz Entertainment Co. Chairman Robert Kory wrote that the company ceased to exist Dec. 10 and that investors should be able to deduct their losses on their 2001 tax returns.

Governor sees no Oz in Kansas' future
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
Gov. Bill Graves said Tuesday he believed the proposed $860 million Wonderful World of Oz theme park was probably somewhere over the rainbow. "I think that project is unlikely to occur," Graves said after developers failed to meet a Monday deadline for paying back money it owed the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utilities.

Oz planners fail payback deadline
Tuesday, October 30, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Another knell sounded Monday for the proposed Wonderful World of Oz theme park. The park developers failed to meet a critical deadline for paying back money it owed the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utilities.

Governor will meet with Oz developers' lawyer
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Gov. Bill Graves is scheduled to meet this afternoon with John Petersen, a lawyer representing developers of the proposed World of Oz theme park and resort. "There's an assumption on the governor's part that developments in the Oz matter will come up," said Graves' spokesman Don Brown. The meeting, Brown said, will be private and brief.

Vote likely death knell for Oz park
Friday, October 5, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Plans to build a Wonderful World of Oz theme park and resort near DeSoto suffered a major — perhaps fatal — setback Thursday when the Johnson County Commission voted to "decline further study" of the proposal.
Without the county's support, developers will not have access to state tax incentives and financing aid considered critical to the project.

AG rules Oz must repay BPU
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Developers of the proposed Wonderful World of Oz theme park have until Oct. 29 to pay the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities $400,000. If they don't, according to a Kansas attorney general's opinion issued Tuesday, they'll miss a state-imposed deadline for settling issues critical to the project's finances.

District attorney says commission didn't break law
Friday, September 28, 2001
The way Johnson County commissioners handled the decision to proceed with a feasibility study of a proposed theme park was "odd," the district attorney says, but not illegal. Philip Klein of Prairie Village, who opposes Oz Entertainment Co.'s proposed theme park, filed a lawsuit against the commissioners claiming they violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act.

Oz hearing prompts open-meetings lawsuit
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
By Dave Ranney

A vocal opponent of the proposed World of Oz theme park filed a lawsuit Tuesday, accusing Johnson County commissioners of violating open meetings law last week when members agreed to proceed with an analysis of the development's costs and chances for success.

Oz makes amends to county
Wednesday, September 5, 2001
By Dave Ranney

In an attempt to rebuild burned bridges, Oz Entertainment Company on Tuesday wired $150,000 to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan. The late-afternoon payment, Oz officials said, resolves the controversy that erupted last week when the company stopped payment on a $150,000 check it had sent to Unified Government offices six weeks ago, causing the proposed theme park's backers and critics alike to cry foul.

Oz developers stop Wyandotte payment, citing legal questions
Saturday, August 25, 2001
Criticism of a proposed Wizard of Oz theme park has intensified after developers stopped payment on a $150,000 check to Wyandotte County, where they had originally planned to locate the project.
The check was returned to the county's Unified Government, even as Oz Entertainment Co. officials were saying they had repaid Wyandotte County for grants received in the early 1990s.

Grant stance may cost Oz key backing
Thursday, August 23, 2001
Oz Entertainment Co.'s claim that it should not have to repay any of the $550,000 it received from Wyandotte County may hurt its chances to build a theme park near DeSoto. Oz Entertainment officials on Monday argued in a letter to Atty. Gen. Carla Stovall that it should not have to repay any of the economic development grants it received from Wyandotte County in the late 1990s.

Johnson County to review Oz plans
Friday, August 10, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Johnson County commissioners agreed Thursday to spend $168,300 on an independent review of Oz Entertainment Company's plan to develop a theme park and resort on the site of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant near DeSoto.
But the review won't get under way, commission members agreed, until they have a clear reading on legal issues surrounding Oz's having to pay back $550,000 it got from Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kan., and the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities in 1991 for a feasibility study.

AG to sort out Oz deadline
Wednesday, August 1, 2001
Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer wants to know if he has the authority to extend the deadline for a $400,000 payment by developers of a Wizard of Oz theme park. Monday, Sherrer asked the state Attorney General's Office for an opinion on whether he has the authority to give the developers more time to pay Wyandotte County's Board of Public Utilities.

DeSoto mayor wants county to buy Oz land
Thursday, July 26, 2001
The city's new mayor wants Johnson County — not a theme park developer — to buy and clean up the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant and sell it to developers. Oz Entertainment Co. could be one of the buyers, Mayor Dave Anderson said, but the county would be the master planner of the 9,065-acre parcel.

Developer drops out from Oz
Friday, June 22, 2001
A company that was going to work with Oz Entertainment Co. to develop the former Sunflower Army Ammunition plant near DeSoto has changed its mind.

Park attorney questions Oz 'gift' of land
Friday, May 11, 2001
What has been billed as a gift of land from the developers of a Wizard of Oz-themed park is hung up in negotiations over whether it's really a gift at all.
The developers don't have the land yet. They're trying to get the 9,065-acre former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant from the federal government so they can develop the park. They're offering to do the environmental clean-up the lands needs, then give 2,800 acres back to the DeSoto School District and the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.

Ammunition plant cleanup on schedule
Friday, May 4, 2001
The Army's cleanup of the abandoned Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant is proceeding on schedule, according to a report. The report, issued Wednesday, estimates future costs of the cleanup at $40.1 million. The estimate, part of the Army's Installation Action Plan for the plant, is about $500,000 less than last year's tally, reflecting work done during the last year to rid the plant of lead-contaminated soil, said Ralph Burns, the plant's environmental engineer.

Oz study ordered by commission
Friday, April 27, 2001
By Dave Ranney

After some minor tweaking, the Johnson County Commission on Thursday launched its own study of Oz Entertainment Co.'s development plan for the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant near DeSoto.

Commissioner says Oz optimism premature
Thursday, April 26, 2001
By Dave Ranney

A theme park developer is telling investors he is optimistic the Johnson County Commission will approve the controversial Wonderful World of Oz, in part, because of "close personal relationships" between an Oz lawyer and commission members.

Senate approves Oz extension
Saturday, April 7, 2001
The Oz bill is off to see the governor. The Senate voted 31-8 Friday to approve the bill giving developers of the proposed Wonderful World of Oz theme park an additional year to break ground in Johnson County on the $861 million project.

House tentatively backs Oz extension
Tuesday, March 27, 2001
Forget going over the rainbow. Legislators just wanted to get over Oz — the proposed theme park, that is.

Oz extension expected to pass
Thursday, March 22, 2001
By Dave Ranney

A House committee is expected to vote today on a bill that gives the proposed Wonderful World of Oz theme park another year to resolve its differences with Johnson County Commission.

Oz plan kept in limbo; study OK'd
Friday, March 16, 2001
By Dave Ranney

Plans for turning part of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant into a Wonderful World of Oz theme park have been put off for at least a year.
Asked to approve the $860-million project Thursday, Johnson County commissioners instead split 2-2. The deadlock meant Oz was indefinitely tabled. But commissioners then voted 3-1 to spend county dollars on a feasibility study of the theme park.

Oz hearing draws passionate crowd
Wednesday, March 14, 2001
By Joel Mathis

The irresistible force and the immovable object met head-on in a Tuesday morning meeting at East Hills Business Park. The irresistible force: Business park companies who say their employees are endangered by speeding traffic every time they turn off Kansas Highway 10 to go to work.

Oz project returns to Johnson County with revised plans
Saturday, February 3, 2001
The Oz Entertainment Co. has resubmitted its plan to develop the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant site near DeSoto. The company on Thursday gave the five-member Johnson County Commission a 3-inch-thick binder of information in hopes of winning approval to acquire and develop the defunct munitions plant between the Kansas City area and Lawrence.

Oz names interim CEO
Friday, December 1, 2000
A Detroit advertising and marketing manager was to be named Thursday as the interim chief executive officer of Oz Entertainment Co.

Oz chairman seeks to gain county's trust
Tuesday, November 14, 2000
The chairman of the company that wants to build a theme park based on the story of Oz admits the company has had problems proving it is trustworthy.

Oz plan for tax breaks tabled
Tuesday, November 7, 2000
By Dave Ranney

Johnson County officials on Monday dealt a crippling, and perhaps fatal, blow to a Los Angeles developer's plans for converting the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant to a Wonderful World of Oz theme park.

Oz not wonderful for all
Monday, November 6, 2000
Four white water towers loom over land marred by dilapidated military buildings, mounds of rusted scrap metal, miles of steam pipes and roads barely wide enough for a truck. Yet Robert Kory, president and founder of the Oz Entertainment Co., sees the Yellow Brick Road.

Oz project developed over 15 years
Monday, November 6, 2000
It's been a long and winding road for the Oz Entertainment Co.'s proposal to build the Wonderful World of Oz at the former Sunflower Army Ammunition plant.

Army left legacy of contamination at Sunflower
Monday, November 6, 2000
The Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant was designed during World War II as a plant that would be the world's largest smokeless powder manufacturer. At its peak, the plant employed 12,000 and covered 10,747 acres.

Residents voice disapproval of Oz park
Thursday, October 12, 2000
By Amber Stuever

Land near here that settlers traveled through on the Oregon Trail and where Americans assembled World War II ammunition should not be paved over for an amusement park, more than a dozen Johnson County residents said at a town meeting Thursday.

'Oz' author sought Indian holocaust
Monday, October 9, 2000
By Tim Carpenter

L. Frank Baum's fairy tale about a Kansas girl swept by a tornado to a magical world of munchkins and witches made both author and state synonymous with Oz. So deeply is "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" ingrained in American popular culture that a development company is poised to build an $861 million Wonderful World of Oz theme park and resort near DeSoto to capitalize on the tale's popularity.

Oz developers to reveal plan
Thursday, October 5, 2000
By Dave Ranney

Within the next few days, developers of the proposed Wonderful World of Oz theme park will submit a detailed report on how they plan to carry out the $860 million project. State officials are expected to spend at least 60 days analyzing the voluminous report en route to deciding whether to approve the project for bond financing.

Federal indictments in Texas touch Oz project in Kansas
Friday, September 22, 2000
Thirteen former employees of the company that conducted environmental tests on the site of a proposed Oz theme park were accused Thursday of altering lab results from tests nationwide.

Alternative to Oz sought
Friday, September 8, 2000
Two Johnson County commissioners say the county should consider acquiring the old Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant site rather than see it developed privately as a Wizard of Oz theme park and resort.

Candidates clash at covered-dish dinner
Saturday, August 19, 2000
By Erwin Seba

With most of the candidates for local and state offices in attendance at a Lawrence potluck dinner, Republican challenger Pete Hunter linked incumbent Democrat Rep. Troy Findley to the state's foster care crisis and the Oz Theme Park development.

Business groups support Oz park
Wednesday, August 16, 2000
By Tom Meagher

Business groups came out in force Tuesday night to counter grass-roots opposition to the proposed theme park at the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Base near DeSoto. At a work session of the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, 10 taxpayer and environmental groups asked the board to reject the Oz Entertainment Company's development proposal for the site.

Oz financing hits roadblock
Sunday, August 6, 2000
By Dave Ranney
Journal-World Writer

The Kansas Development Finance Authority has suspended talks on transferring the mothballed Sunflower Ammunition Plant to Oz Entertainment Co. "There is no substantive discussion going on at this time," said Rebecca Floyd, the finance authority's executive director and legal counsel.

Oz cleanup likely to come in near bid
Tuesday, June 27, 2000
By Dave Ranney
Journal-World Writer

A spokesman for a company that specializes in cleaning up hazardous waste sites says the former Sunflower Ammunition Plant is not among the nation's worst.