Oconomowoc celebrates 85th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz premiere

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It has been 85 years since The Wizard of Oz premiered in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin!

On Friday, Sept. 6 the city celebrated in style. 

Downtown was converted to the "Oz Plaza," with statues of Dorthy, Toto, and other characters from the beloved movie. 

Two new statues were also unveiled tonight. There was a costume contest, and the movie played on the big screen. 

"Everybody does embrace it. everybody dresses up, they dress up their whole downtown area, the store windows, their homes. So, everybody just really gets into it," said Tracey Gunderson, board of directors with Moonlight Movies. 

And you may be wondering, why Oconomowoc?

Apparently, the producers were not sure how the movie would be received, so they tested it on a smaller market. 

The rest, as they say, is history.