Follow the Yellow Brick to Palos Heights' Oz House

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL -- Among the zombies, monsters and crazy clowns populating the lawns of the south suburbs, one yard stands out in Palos Heights with its life-sized, whimsical recreation of the Land of Oz.

Mary Ann Zahorik, an estate sales dealer and lover of the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz, has been transforming her front yard at 7021 W. 125th St., Palos Heights, into Munchkinland and Emerald City for the past six years. While she says she admires the creativity and artistry of the gorier yard displays, she wanted hers to be kid-friendly.

“My 8-year-old grandson, Ryan, is fascinated with the movie,”said Zahorik. “With so much sadness and violence in the world, I wanted to focus on something more positive.”

All of the costumes on her array of mannequins, which end up getting repurposed for Christmas, are hand sewn, as are the recycled playhouse, bowling balls and dollar store decorations.

“You can get [bowling balls] at a thrift store for $2.Ninety-five percent of my stuff I get at thrift stores and garage sales,” Zahorik said. “My dream was to be a window dresser.”

This year she’s added the Lollipop League, those tough-singing munchkins who present Dorothy with an all-day sucker in gratitude for killing the Wicked Witch of the East, and the delicate Lullaby League ballerinas.

For the full effect, visit at night, when the display is lit up and music from the movie is piped into the yard.

The Oz House, as it has come to be known to her Palos Heights neighbors, has also been the target of vandals and pranksters. Last year, someone ripped Toto out of Dorothy’s basket and sent Zahorik a ransom note. Toto was never recovered.

“Toto was sewn into the basket so they must have used a razor blade,” Zahorik said. “When I let people know about Toto, people were really bothered by it. People were sending me Totos from all over.”

Another year someone made off with the Tin Man during homecoming weekend (we won’t say which high school).

“I told police to look for a kid who had silver glitter all over him,” she said. “They threw the Tin Man into another yard.”

The yard display is now under camera surveillance. During the holidays, all of the decorations are flipped for Zahorik’s Victorian Christmas display. One year, someone beheaded a Victorian choir member. An elderly gentleman found the head in his yard.

On Halloween, Zahorik’s friendly English springer spaniels, Miss Tippie Canoe and Brutus Johnson, will be greeting trick-or-treaters dressed as flying monkeys.

“We’ve been trying on the hats to see if they’ll keep them on,” she said.

The Oz House at 7021 W. 125th St., Palos Heights, will be lit up from 6 to 10 p.m.weekdays; and until 11 p.m. on weekends.

Photos: Some of the whimsical scenes of the Palos Heights Oz House.