UPDATE: November 19, 2020  1:00pm: The Wizard of Oz event at the Avalon Theatre has been canceled.

One of the most beloved movies in history is hitting the big screen in Grand Junction.

The 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz will be showing at the Avalon Theatre on Tuesday, November 24. Considering the limited capacity limits for indoor events, it's likely going to be a full house.

It's hard to believe that a movie more than 80 years old is still so wildly popular. How many of us grew up watching the Wizard once a year, every year on network television? Eventually, the movie moved to cable resulting in multiple opportunities to see it and gaining exposure to new generations of young viewers.

I can't say that I have seen The Wizard of Oz a hundred times, though it certainly feels like it. The exact number may not be over the rainbow, but I'm pretty sure it's over 50 times. Obviously, I'm a huge fan, along with many others in the Grand Valley who just never tire of seeing it. We know the songs, we know the dialogue by heart - yet, we want to see it again and again. "Ding dong the witch is dead, which old witch, the wicked witch...."

My favorite character in the Wizard of Oz is definitely the scarecrow.  He may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's the best friend you could ever hope to have. Each character in the movie has some qualities that make us love them or hate them. Take Myra Gulch - a.k.a the Wicked Witch of the West, for example. Nobody likes her, but we all love to hate her.

Tickets for the Wizard of Oz are $5 and can be purchased online. As part of the weekly Dinner, Shopping, and a Movie promotion in downtown Grand Junction, you can dine or shop downtown on Tuesday and use your receipt to get free admission for every $5 you to spend that day. COVID protocols will be in place at the Avalon, including facial coverings and limiting groups to 10 or less.

Take a minute and check out the original trailer for The Wizard of Oz.

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