Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Minnesota lawmakers are primed to put some green toward a possible acquisition of the ruby slippers of “Wizard of Oz” fame. 

A bill now staged for final House and Senate votes earmarks $100,000 in dedicated sales tax proceeds to help with a possible purchase of the famous shoes. The pot of money it would be drawn from is devoted to efforts to preserve or promote aspects of Minnesota’s historical legacy.

 in Grand Rapids in 2005, but were recovered in 2018. FBI officers returned them to their owner in February. They could be put up for auction later this year.

The amount that would go for the shimmering footwear worn in the film by Dorothy, played by Minnesota native Judy Garland, is half of what Senate lawmakers committed in a broader environment and cultural heritage plan earlier this year. 

Ruby slippers from ‘Wizard of Oz’ could find permanent residence in Minnesota

Lawmakers would set the money aside to “facilitate negotiations” for the purchase of the slippers for the Minnesota Historical Society. There is an expectation the seed money would be combined with “available state funds” and non state sources to acquire the shoes, which would be put on public display at the Grand Rapids museum.

Their estimated value is around $3.5 million so it’s not certain the state’s buying power would get all the way down the — wait for it — yellow brick road.

The grant is a tiny sliver of the $230 million that makes up the Legacy Finance proposal, which also encompasses funding for outdoor heritage, clean water, parks and trails, the arts and other historically significant programs.

Passage of the bill is expected in the coming days.

Minnesota News

Politics and Government News

2025 Minnesota legislative session

NewsPartners

Homepage

2024 Minnesota legislative session

Dana Ferguson

Author

A bill staged for final votes would use $100,000 from a historical legacy account to help facilitate purchase of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ But it would need to be combined with other money.

$100K for ruby slippers? Minnesota lawmakers put seed money into acquisition of Dorothy’s footwear

Go Deeper.

Like this?