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Dan Clark works on his Emerald City neon light installation in the driveway of his Soquel Drive home. - Sentinel Photo by Shmuel Thaler

SOQUEL — Drivers look confused when they see three pulsating pillars rising over Dan Clark’s house.

They stare but rarely work up the gumption to ask questions. If they only had some courage, drivers would discover the neon towers aren’t bug-zappers but part of a recreated Emerald City from "The Wizard Of Oz." The film of L. Frank Baum’s fantasy book featured an art deco city skyline that looked like green rocket ships.

Clark’s Soquel Drive towers are part of a 14-tower set-up he will bring to Burning Man — the arts, crafts, body-paint, barter and mind-melting substance fest that lights up a Nevada desert every August. The fest ends with the ritual incineration of a neon totem, its arms raised to the sky.

The towers are the most elaborate project ever for Clark, who is also constructing a mock-up of the "Jupiter 2" space craft from the old "Lost In Space" TV show. His previous projects include a glowing medical marijuana leaf, martini glasses and corporate logos, along with neon fixtures for the Burning Man figure that goes up in smoke every year.

The towers are only the beginning of the "Oz" camp, commissioned by area resident Patrick Flanagan, 57, who happens to live on a street called Emerald City Way outside Aptos.

This year at Burning Man, Flanagan and his wife, Stephanie, will go as wild as a couple of flying monkeys, spending close to $100,000 on their set-up.

This year, the Flanagans will have 30 people in costume and "a support group of 80 people total." They will have a custom-made hot-air balloon, cut in half, lying on its side to form a dome tent tied to the desert floor. The balloon will be 45 feet high and serve as a screen for lasers. The set will even have a portal featuring a computerized version of Flanagan’s face, digitally dolled up to look like Oz himself.

Flanagan will speak to revelers and even take their questions.

"I will hold court as Oz," he said.

But the crowning touch will be an organ that makes music by shooting towers of flames into the sky.

The Emerald City towers are 20 to 50 feet high, made of wire frames, neon tubes and mesh. The camp will be 200 by 300 feet. Fifteen vehicles, including two box trucks and a semi-flatbed carrying a forklift, will bring the camp to Nevada.

Flanagan, who describes himself as an inventor and former child prodigy, readily explained his willingness to bear a huge expense for one Burning Man blowout.

"You know what, it really is pleasure," he said. "It brings out a childlike energy."

He said there can be dark energy at Burning Man, with violent "Mad Max" style imagery.

"Some things are overtly sexual," he said. "It’s a broad spectrum. Pretty much, people can do anything as long as they respect everyone else. And, basically, Emerald City brings out a childish delight in everyone. We’re going to have Munchkins this year. Flying monkeys. Of course, we always have the Good Witch, the Bad Witch, Dorothy and Oz."

Off-the-chart wild as the project may be, the "Emerald City" designers face stiff competition. "I hear this year someone is going to have a 60-foot-long train of trailers dressed up to look like a dragon," Clark said.

The towers, by the way, will not be torched. Clark hopes they will be resurrected for future celebrations, or exhibited in a Los Angeles neon museum.

Contact Dan White at dwhite@santa-cruz.com.

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