“The Ruby Slippers–What Have You Done With Them?”

That’s of course a quote from the Wicked Witch of the West. Let’s roll the tape:

Alert readers may recall that two years ago I stopped at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, primarily to see the famous Ruby Slippers. Here’s an excerpt from the blog:

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Naturally, my primary objective at the Judy Garland museum was to see the ruby slippers. And behold, there they were, just sitting on a pedestal with no barrier separating me from them!

Alas, a sign explained that while this was the “original pedestal” on which the ruby slippers used to sit, the slippers were reproductions. The original slippers were stolen in 2005. A docent (Sheena, pictured below) told me that the slippers were recovered in 2018 in Minneapolis, but they remain in the possession of the FBI, which continues to gather evidence of the crime. What’s worse is that the slippers were just on loan to the museum, so if and when the FBI releases them, they’ll go to the owner, and not to the museum.

Still, the museum contains numerous authentic artifacts, and I recommend it. Meanwhile, when she heard I was driving the length of US Route 2, Sheena encouraged me to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi River, which are a short drive from the highway. This I will do tomorrow. Until then.

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OK, it’s me again, in December 2024. The reason I’m bringing all this up is because there’s been a major development in the ruby slippers story. The miscreant who’d stolen them has been brought to justice, and the slippers have been reunited with their original owner…who then turned around and auctioned them of for a cool $28 million. I’m not making this up. You can read the story here.

Sadly, the Judy Garland Museum did not have the winning bid. The winner has not been disclosed. We can only hope it’s someone, or some organization, that will make them visible to the public.