Somewhere in North Carolina, near the Tennessee line...There's a land paved with gold, and a story that's endured through time.For nearly 50 years, 44,000 yellow bricks along a winding quarter-mile road have lured hundreds of thousands to Beech Mountain, whether the gates to "Oz" were technically open or not. This summer, the Land of Oz theme park will welcome fans from much farther than Kansas, to journey with Dorothy on the following dates: June 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 26, 27 and July 5.맥스카지노�We had a family from Russia come a couple of years ago,맥스카지노� said Sean Barrett, artistic director for the Land of Oz, last spring. 맥스카지노�They came dressed as the Russian version of the Wizard of Oz characters so that was a lot of fun.맥스카지노�The tour goes from Auntie Em맥스카지노�s farm house, through the tornado that dropped it onto the Wicked Witch of the East, and eventually to Oz.When we asked the 맥스카지노�Dorothy맥스카지노� who walked us through the park her favorite part of the job, she said, 맥스카지노�You get to break the fourth wall and interact with the kids, and they believe it. It맥스카지노�s so magical to them.맥스카지노�That magical feeling is what the small team of wizards working behind the curtain say the Land of Oz is all about.맥스카지노�I love when you come in and little kids are dressed like Dorothy and they맥스카지노�re running up to see her and you have grown men getting on the yellow brick road and they맥스카지노�re tearing up, and they맥스카지노�ll be like 맥스카지노�Are we allowed to skip?맥스카지노�맥스카지노� Barrett said. The history of the Land of Oz theme park has had about as many twists, turns, and pitfalls as Dorothy's journey down the yellow brick road.The Land of Oz opened in 1970, created by the Robbins brothers to make Beech Mountain a tourist attraction during the summer months.The 맥스카지노�Wizard of Oz맥스카지노� theme was chosen just because the architect thought the trees looked like the ones from the movie.Barrett said the park 맥스카지노�was a huge entity in the 1970s.맥스카지노� Within the first year alone, 400,000 people skipped through -- among them, celebrities like Debbie Reynolds and Muhammad Ali.In the 맥스카지노�80s, a storm of problems swirled through, including bankruptcy, and suspected arson.맥스카지노�There was a fire that December that destroyed the Emerald City amphitheater and a couple of the gift shops,맥스카지노� says Barrett.Another company tried to take over, but things just didn't work out, Barret says 맥스카지노�So, after the 1980 season, Oz wasn't necessarily abandoned, it was just left to its own devices.맥스카지노�During that time, Land of Oz became notorious as one of the top 맥스카지노�abandoned맥스카지노� sites in the country.After a few years of unwelcome visitors and stolen bricks, the park beefed up security, and did some renovations.Within the past few years, it started the 맥스카지노�Journey with Dorothy맥스카지노� tours, as a way to cater to the demand for people who want to come to the property. For more information on the Land of Oz, click here.