By KEVIN NEVERS

When Ralph Zellem announced last week, in a story published in Friday’s edition of the Chesterton Tribune, that Munchkins Jerry Maren and Mickey Carroll would be appearing at this year’s Wizard of Oz Festival—not as guests of the festival but under the sponsorship of ozmunchkinland.com—he broached the possibility of Maren and Carroll’s participating in the Oz Parade on Saturday.

For a fee to be negotiated.

“We would love to be in the parade,” as the Tribune quoted Zellem, Maren and Carroll’s agent, or as he prefers to be called, their personal assistant. “We would love to be part of the organized festivities.”

Maren and Carroll can wish to participate in the parade all they want, however, but Lakeshore Festival & Events Inc. (LFE) will not be extending them an invitation, even were they amenable to participating for free.

In an e-mail sent to Zellem on Monday, LFE President Karen Spallina made it clear that “Mr. Maren and Mr. Carroll will not be allowed to participate with the Festival’s Munchkin guests at any of the festival, including but not limited to” the Munchkin/Celebrity Family Picnic on Friday, the Oz Fantasy Parade and the Judy/Oz Exchange and Auction on Saturday, Breakfast with the Munchkins on Sunday, and any of the festival’s authorized autograph sessions.

Should Maren, Carroll, or Zellem purchase a ticket for any of these events, of course he could enter the venue and enjoy the activity, like any other paying fan. But, Spallina added, “Chief George Nelson of the Chesterton Police Department has assured us at our request that you, Mr. Maren, Mr. Carroll, or anyone else you represent will be subject to arrest based on disorderly conduct should you attempt to disturb the festival in any way, shape, or form.”

I.C. 35-45-1-3 defines disorderly conduct as follows: “A person who recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally: (1) engages in fighting or tumultuous conduct; (2) makes unreasonable noise and continues to do so after being asked to stop; or (3) disrupts a lawful assembly of persons commits disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor.”

A Class B misdemeanor is punishable by a term of up to 180 days in jail and a fine of $1,000.

As festival organizers have done for years, in the spring they invited Maren and fellow Munchkin Karl Slover to attend, but subsequently dis-invited them later in the summer after they were unable to agree to contract terms. One of the sticking points happened to be Zellem himself, and Spallina has said that it is a long-standing policy of the festival not to negotiate with agents or promoters.

Nevertheless, Maren, who played the Lollipop Kid in The Wizard of Oz, and Carroll, who played the Munchkin Violinist and Fiddler, will be making personal appearances throughout the festival at a vacant storefront at 119 Broadway, after ozmunchkinland.com agreed to sponsor them: from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and from 12 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Slover, who played the First Munchkin Trumpeter, has a prior commitment and will be unable to attend.

If Zellem hopes to get Maren and Carroll into the storefront by 2 p.m. Thursday, though, under Chapter 18 of the Town Code he has until 2 p.m. Wednesday to apply for a peddler’s permit, Nelson told the Tribune today. That permit, which Zellem must renew for each day of the festival and not less than 24 hours prior to its issuance, costs $5 per day.

Nelson said that he has faxed Zellem the sections of Town Code pertaining to the peddler’s permits as well as to business registration.

Posted 9/14/2004