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