Following the Yellow Brick Road to Lisle

There's no place like home for "The Wizard of Oz" fan Laurae Kozlik.

Her Lisle home is filled with a dizzying array of dolls, ornaments, first-edition books, blankets, figurines, music boxes, plates and toys, the result of 10 years of avid collecting inspired by a visit to the Yellow Brick Road store in Chesterton, IN.

She told me that her hobby brings her great joy, especially now that her father is gone.

"My family used to watch the movie together every Thanksgiving and my collection reminds me of those days," Kozlik said. "I probably watch the movie four or five  times a year, just by myself or with my fiance, Chris Dryjanski."

Her enthusiasm for all things Oz has resulted in her becoming the goodwill ambassador for the International Wizard of Oz Fan Club. In her position as ambassador, she attends Oz festivals to help spread the word about the club, including last weekend's Wizard of Oz event at the Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville. That is where I met her.

At the theater and later for an interview with Lisle Patch, Kozlik wore a gingham hand-sewn Dorothy costume she purchased at the Yellow Brick Road. She enjoys surrounding herself with Oz memorabilia. Kozlik is legally blind, having lost sight in her right eye in 1989 because of a tumor. However, her disability has not dampened her go-getter outlook.

"I can't drive, and reading a book is out, so I listen to music and love watching movies," she said.

"All of the people in the Oz club and the friends that I've met through the Oz festivals have been so kind and helpful to me. They have become more like family than just friends," she added.

While we sat in her home with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" playing in the background, Kozlik recalled stories about some of the items in her collection.

"Some were given to me as gifts, some are from my mother's collection and many of them I've purchased," she said. "The Dixie Cups are one of my favorites as they were so hard to find and I was so happy when I found them years after so many years of looking."

Kozlik is not just a collector but is also an advocate. She helped circulate petitions in support of the Munchkins' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Munchkins received their start in 2007.

"I went to Starbucks, the ice skating rink in Downers Grove where I work and the turkey trot 5K runs to get signatures," she said. "I'd do anything to help the Munchkins!"