A
Walk Through Salem
2008 & 2009 Mass Cultural Council
Winner
Read John Goff's
Article
in the Salem Gazette about Our Walking Tour!
Mr. Zac !
Mr. Zac might
look a little scary on the
bench at first, an old man sitting on a bench alone. A man waiting for
strangers to walk by to say “Hi”! You might say he has a unique way of
drawing your fears out of you. For if you follow him through his
magical tree he will grant you the way to find your own peace and
whimsy within the other world of Salem.
Mr. Zac follows the old tradition that respects our elders. He is the
Uncle Remus of Southern tales, the kindly old Grocer, the old man next
door who wanted to share Now and Laters with you and his wife when you
were knee high to a grasshopper. Part of the old neighborhood that used
to raise children within their arms. But at times he might confuse you
a little as the old shaman or Willy Wonka could. He is the Medicine Man
that brings you cheers and the Sufi that has you twirling in circles
like you do not have a care in the world. His patch worked robes of the
“Perfect Fool” are traded in for an ugly dusty mustard color tweed suit
and bow tie, and purple and magenta socks.
Mr. Zac's appearance is taken from two characters. One from history and
the other from early Hollywood. The first is William
Jennings Bryan. He was a congressman, senator, and Secretary of
State under Woodrow Wilson. But more important he was Frank Baum's
influence for the Cowardly
Lion. The other character is Ed Wynn. Uncle Albert floating on the
ceiling in Mary Poppins, you know him. “a man beloved by the children,
and therefore a most important man.” A star in several Twilight Zone
episodes and originally cast for the Wizard of OZ. But as a runaway at
a young age, would of Ed Wynn ever had made it without the help of
those elders of his community?
On a side note, William Jennings Bryan also was the prosecuting lawyer
in the Scopes trial. So not only in the Wizard of Oz did he hate
monkeys , he hated them in real life as well....
So be of the world and not in it and follow Mr. Zac into the walk
through Salem.
William Jennings Bryan
  
Ed Wynn
Mr.
Zac
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