Judy Garland's hometown is raising funds to purchase stolen ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers
Actress Judy Garland's hometown is raising money to recover a pair of ruby slippers she wore in “The Wizard of Oz” after it was stolen from a local museum and then turned over to an auction company
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota hometown of Judy Garland, the actress who wore a pair of ruby slippers in “The Wizard of Oz,” is raising money to purchase the prized footwear after it was stolen from a local museum and then later turned over to an auction company.
Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where the late actress was born in 1922, is fundraising at its annual Judy Garland festival, which kicks off Thursday. The north Minnesota town is soliciting donations to bring the slippers back after an auction company takes them on an international tour before offering them up to prospective buyers in December.
“They could sell for $1 million, they could sell for $10 million. They’re priceless,” Joe Maddalena, Heritage Auctions executive vice president, told Minnesota Public Radio. “Once they’re gone, all the money in the world can’t buy them back.”
The funds will supplement the $100,000 set aside this year by Minnesota lawmakers to purchase the slippers.
