BURLINGTON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 28, 2026--
Follow the road that leads to “ Bloomland in Oz ” at Royal Botanical Gardens! Journey through captivating botanical displays featuring 25,000 real blooms and delightful artistic creations in a spectacular adventure inspired by the beloved literary classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Available from January 31 to April 6, 2026. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, daily during March Break, and on holidays*. Plus, enjoy extended evening hours on select Saturdays* (exceptions apply – visit rbg.ca/oz for details).**
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260128488572/en/
Attendees will be swept away from the grey of winter and transported to the vibrant world of Oz, a multi-sensory experience that fuses floral design, visual arts, and storytelling. Encounter life-sized installations of beloved scenes and characters, alongside fragrant florals and lush greenery as radiant as the Emerald City itself! As part of the 2026 floral showcase, RBG presents Of Wonders Wild and New. This visual arts exhibition draws on themes from the world of Oz through the lens of contemporary woodworking, featuring six artists from across Canada, Six Nations, Italy and Spain, joined by members of the Ontario Wood Carving Association. Every path is filled with magic in this all-ages indoor experience, where the journey is just as extraordinary as the destination.
“Bloomland in Oz at the Royal Botanical Gardens is a one-of-a-kind experience that will enchant visitors of all ages with its extraordinary fusion of horticultural and artistic talent and immersive storytelling,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. “This beautiful showcase offers an inviting escape from the cold into a world of warmth and whimsy – and is a wonderful reason to explore one of Ontario’s great cultural treasures with your friends and family.”
Visit rbg.ca/events to learn more about additional event offerings, such as Bloomland Enchanted Tea, Bloomland in Oz: After Dark (19+ evening event), and Bloomland in Oz: A Journey Through Jazz (coming soon!).
Tickets are available NOW atrbg.ca/oz.
This is a time-ticketed experience, pre-registration is required. Bloomland in Oz tickets provide access to RBG’s spaces for the same day within seasonal hours, including RBG Centre’s indoor Mediterranean Garden and Breezeway, Imagination Playground, Hendrie Park, and Rock Garden (open Thursday to Sunday).
About Royal Botanical Gardens
Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), proudly celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2026, is the not-for-profit caretaker of 2193 acres of land and ecosystems surrounded by Canada’s largest urban environment. RBG is an educator and experience creator delivering cultural, artistic, and culinary experiences throughout its diverse network of gardens and natural spaces.
For more information about Royal Botanical Gardens, please visit https://www.rbg.ca/
"Bloomland in Oz" at RBG features captivating botanical displays and artistic creations inspired by the literary classic, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
Bill Belichick won six Lombardi Trophies as a head coach with the Patriots, two as an assistant with the Giants and has more Super Bowl rings than anyone in NFL history.
Yet somehow he’s not a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Belichick didn’t get the required votes in his first year of eligibility, according to a report from ESPN on Tuesday that cited four unidentified sources.
Belichick needed 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers.
News of the snub stunned players, coaches, fans and anyone who has watched football.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called it “insane.”
NBA superstar LeBron James said it’s “impossible, egregious, and quite frankly disrespectful.”
If Belichick’s resume isn’t worthy of a gold jacket and bronze statue, what constitutes a Hall of Fame career?
“Whatever perceptions may exist about any personal differences between Bill and me, I strongly believe Bill Belichick’s record and body of work speak for themselves," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
"As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of the National Football League. He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.”
Kraft and Belichick are two of five finalists among coaches, contributors and senior players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier. Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood are the players.
Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into the Hall along with between three and five modern era players from a group of 15 finalists.
The Hall of Fame declined to comment before its class of 2026 is announced at NFL Honors in San Francisco on Feb. 5. Several voters immediately revealed they voted for Belichick and some called for those who didn’t to publicly say it.
Armando Salguero, OutKick’s Senior NFL Writer and Hall of Fame voter, was the one who presented Belichick in the Hall’s subcommittee meeting that selected him to advance to the full 50-member selection body. Salguero then presented Belichick to the full selector’s committee in a meeting on Jan. 13.
He is among the voters who selected Belichick and are urging the others to reveal themselves.
“They should identify themselves as the people who kept Belichick out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year,” Salguero wrote in his column. “I am saying that here, and would say as much to their face. Their votes sunk Belichick’s chances and embarrassed the Hall of Fame in the process.
“They make all selectors look bad, and they shouldn’t hide behind their minority vote to protect themselves at the expense of the wider group. I know it’s a wider group because I’ve spoken with a lot of selectors since our meeting, and they agreed with my vote for Belichick.”
Salguero, who is a longtime voter for the AP All-Pro team and the AP NFL awards, said the “Spygate” scandal kept Belichick out of the Hall. There is no morality or character criteria for voters to consider.
Belichick was implicated in a sign-stealing scheme during the 2007 season and was fined $500,000 after New England was caught filming defensive signals from the New York Jets during a game.
“Spygate was the reason several selectors could not bring themselves to vote for Belichick, because they felt it sullied his records,” Salguero wrote.
In his presentation, Salguero said he pointed out that Belichick had a higher winning percentage (.693 to .580) after “Spygate” and won three Super Bowls and six conference titles. He had 14 double-digit win seasons and won more regular-season games after “Spygate” than 22 of the 28 coaches in the Hall of Fame.
“Those facts may have changed some minds on Belichick. But it didn’t change enough of them,” Salguero wrote.
The process for selection changed in 2025. The 50 voters now each pick three of the five and between one to three make it if they get at least 40 votes. A new rule also made coaches eligible one year after retiring instead of five.
Belichick sat out one season after his 24-year tenure with the Patriots ended in 2023. He just finished his first year coaching in college at North Carolina, where he went 4-8.
Belichick has not commented publicly on the reported vote outcome. UNC executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark — a former NASCAR executive who is designated to take over as the school’s AD later this year — posted a statement on X expressing support for Belichick.
“It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Bill Belichick is not a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Newmark said in the post. “The greatest coaching resume in NFL history speaks for itself, and we are fortunate to have Coach Belichick leading our team.”
Mike Sando, an NFL writer for The Athletic, said he voted for Belichick and explained the process that could’ve led to the snub.
“Whatever the case, I would see this as a repudiation of the new voting rules implemented for 2025, not of Belichick or any candidate not making it,” Sando wrote on X.
The 73-year-old Belichick was a top defensive assistant coach with Giants under Bill Parcells. He left New York to coach Cleveland from 1991-95, joined the Patriots as an assistant in 1996, spent three seasons with the Jets and was hired by New England in 2000.
He led the Patriots with Tom Brady to six Super Bowl wins in nine appearances and had one 16-0 regular season. Belichick’s 333 wins in the regular season and playoffs with New England and Cleveland are the second most to Don Shula’s 347. He won AP NFL Coach of the Year three times.
“Just for the record: I voted for Belichick and am stunned — and embarrassed for our selection committee,” USA Today NFL columnist Jarrett Bell wrote on X. “At least 11 people from the 50-member panel voted against BB. At the very least they should reveal themselves as this begs for transparency. Don’t lump us all together.”
AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow and AP Sports Writers Aaron Beard and Kyle Hightower contributed.
FILE - North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick walks on the field before an NCAA college football game against Syracuse, Oct. 31, 2025, in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
FILE - New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he celebrates the Patriots' victory over the Seattle Seahawks in NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
