5/1–Church Creek Elem School Reading Night, Belcamp

This was a great troop, and an impressive event! Each area of the school was decorated as a different planet from the Star Wars universe, and each one had different activities for kids to complete. Many staff members were dressed up, and they all seemed fully bought in to the event. We arrived around 5 and got suited up in the reading specialist’s office, back away from the main traffic flow. The school assigned us a teacher as a squire, and she escorted us around the building starting at 6. We started in the main hall as most attendees were entering and then wandered a bit, visiting each area in turn. The principal, dressed as Darth Vader, did three readings of Goodnight Darth Vader in the library, and we made sure to be present for each of these times. We took lots of photos, got some hugs and high fives, and generally had a blast. We stayed in costume until 7:30, when the last stragglers headed home.  The entire staff could not have been kinder or more excited to have us there.

Troopers:
Chris – TR
Kyle – SL

 

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5/4–Star Wars Day at Sprint, Glen Burnie

We arrived at 5pm and got suited up in the parking lot. We walked into the mall with buckets off and were met by Kevin as he stood in front of the Sprint store in his Royal Guard costume. We then put our buckets on and stood with him. Mall traffic was pretty light. There was a carnival going on in the parking lot.

We posed for about 2 dozen pictures and then packed it in.

Troopers:
Jesse – TS
Regan – GA DZ
Kevin – TR (Carida)

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5/4–Star Wars Characters Trivia Night, Parkville

The troop went well, although it was small.  The only costumes were Tom and one of the the librarians as Rey.  About 10 people or so total showed up, both children and adults. Everyone had a good time. One librarian’s daughter (age 2 or so) was shy at first but was Tom’s new best friend by the end.

Troopers:

Tom – TI

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5/4–All Time Toys, Ellicott City

As always, All Time Toys were great hosts! They setup a small Blast-A-Trooper in the back of the store to raise money for Make-A-Wish. They raised additional funds by holding a raffle and donating a percentage of their Star Wars merchandise sales for the evening. (Some of the troopers may have contributed to the last part…) Between BAT shootings, we took advantage of the cooler temperatures outside and encouraged people to come in for a visit. Everyone was really glad that we were there! We trooped for a little over two hours.

Troopers:
Matt – TK
Warren – Veers
Delaney – Boushh (GA)
Jason – R2

Squires:
Patrick
Kelly

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5/4–Pack 887 May the Fourth Meeting – Glen Burnie

Alexander and Charlie arrived at the church at 6:30pm and met Larry and Rob in the kitchen / changing room. The Cub Scout meeting kicked off at 7:00 and, after some introductory activities, we made our grand entrance. Charlie quizzed the scouts about being prepared for deployment, comparing camping to trooping for the Empire, and also reminded them of the importance of the chain of command and leadership. We then posed for photos and answered many questions from the curious scouts. The meeting ended with a brief theatrical performance dramatizing the Scout Master’s involvement with the Pack, being hauled away to Wood Badge by the Sandtroopers, and finally handing the mantle of Pack Master to their new leader.

Troopers:
Charlie  – TI
Larry – TD
Rob – TD
Paula – Jedi Knight
Kenny Peterka – Galactic Academy Imperial Crewman

Squire:

Alexander

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5/4–NOAA: May The 4th Be With You

After some MARC train misadventures, Jamie and Charlie arrived at the NOAA facility. Joy had arranged for a large conference room for us to change in. We also met a Resistance Pilot and two Mandalorian Mercenaries. At 11:00 we deployed to the office cubicles and surprised many folks by bringing the outer space adventure down to Earth. We found a fancy (expensive and fragile) sculpture and posed for pictures with more than 60 folks. The lightsaber became a beacon, to be passed from one person to the next, and bringing order to the chaotic line of folks waiting their turn for pictures.  A big thank you to Joy for organizing the event and making the arrangements to grant us access to the facility. The folks were very surprised to see us and had a great time posing for pictures.  We wrapped up at 1:00pm and headed to Chik-Fil-A, where we met a young man who was very excited to see us.  He regaled us with the mysteries of the Force, the Light Side, the Dark Side, and the balance in the middle.

Troopers:
Charlie – TI
Jamie – TK
Joy – Rebel Pilot

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5/4/2017 MT4BWY Forest Hill Elementary, Forest Hill

Making kids smile might just be the best way to celebrate May the 4th, and we certainly did that during this troop. We all arrived between 12 and 1, and were ready to roll at 1:15. The principal, Mr. Hamilton (who was dressed up, along with several staff members), escorted us around the building. Many students were also wearing Star Wars costumes and there were decorations throughout the building. Starting with 5th grade, we went to classrooms and “arrested” two “rebel sympathizers” per grade who had written winning essays on the themes of hope, freedom, and/or making good decisions. Each time we entered a class, the students were shocked and excited to see us, and Melissa did a great job reading the charges, as it were, to call the winner out of class. After we had collected all the younglings, there was about 15 to 20 minutes of down time while the staff organized the concert and assembly. In this stretch, Mr. Hamilton took pictures of each winner in front of our action figure backdrop, which the kids loved. With the Imperial March playing, we then escorted the winners into the gym to receive their congratulations in front of the whole school. Afterwards, the staff generously shared some of their drinks and tacos that were on hand as a part of teacher appreciation week.

Troopers:
Chris – TR
Pat V – TK
Kyle G – DS
Melissa – ID
William – TK
Brian A – ID
Chloe – ANH Leia

Squire:
Brian’s mom

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5/4–Star Wars or Spy Wars, DC

We arrived at 1700 to get changed and ready. At 1745, we split into two groups, one taking photos outside of the museum with attendees, and one taking photos in the Special Events Room of the Spy Museum. At 1830, those in front of the museum headed upstairs for the presentation. The historian and curator of the museum, Vince Houghton, did a presentation on all the various spy elements in the Star Wars movies, using photos and video clips for reference. After the presentation, we took more photos with guests, and headed out at 2100 to grab food at Gordon Biersch across the street.

Troopers:
Joe – CT
Josh – TR
Jeff – Kylo Ren
Christian – ISB (GT)
Bria -ISB (GT)
Matt – TK (GT)
Lance – TI(GT)
Anna – BH (GT)
Chris – BH (GT)
Catherine – DZ (GT)

Squires:
April

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5/6–Free Comic Book Day, Fantom Comics, DC

We arrived a little after 9:15 and one of the Fantom employees helped us carry TK-86347’s bin up the stairs to the shop. There already was a pretty substantial line winding down the stairs. We got suited up in a back room and started patrolling the shop just as they allowed the first three people in line to enter and select their comics first. We patrolled the shop, mainly around the young readers section. There were several superhero cosplayers and a ton of customer fans. We posed for photos and met a few prospective members. We were offered pizza at the shop next door bit TK-86347 was concerned he might miss a few stairs on the way down. At 14:00 we retired to the back room to change and pack up. At 14:45, we said our goodbyes and told them they might not have seen the last of the legion for the day.

Troopers:
Melissa
Bill

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5/6–Star Wars at the Library, Arbutus
Troopers arrived between 12 and 12:30. The Library had a room for us back in the Staff area to suit up and store our boxes.  We welcomed patrons and posed for pictures. We migrated back to the Activity room where younglings and their families were enjoying games and crafts. We posed for more pictures, and looked on at the crafts – we thought we found the droids we were looking for, but were mistaken. The library staff quickly changed the room setup, and we were asked to help out with a trivia contest between the Empire and the rebellion. Many of these younglings answered some very nuanced questions about the Star Wars galaxy – impressive…most impressive!  We posed for a few more pictures and answered questions about the Legion and Galactic Academy.  We changed, enjoyed some water and nibbles the Library provided, and adjourned by 3pm.

Troopers:
Bill T – IS
Brian J – FOTK
Cheryl T – ID
Rob S – DZ

 

Big thanks to Jenny for squiring – and for GA William for bringing his Jawa to play with the other younglings (having a GA rep helped break the ice for many wary kids)!

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5/6–FCBD Third Eye Comics, Annapolis

We arrived at 8am and were led to the back room where we started to get suited up. More and more Troopers started to show up, so we stacked bins and made some room for them. Third Eye supplied everyone with sandwiches and cookies from Jimmy Johns as well as bottles of water.

We then proceeded out into the parking lot around 9am and began taking pics with the folks who were waiting in line. Other costuming groups were present as well. Jason showed up shortly afterwards with R2 and his Mouse droid. The kids went absolutely crazy for the droids. We took a bunch of pics with the kids and parents, dished out plenty of high fives, and even a few Alderaan fist bumps before it started to rain a bit. It was at this point where we headed in and took a short break to hydrate and grab a sandwich, as well as to wait for the rain to stop. We then headed back out to finish up the troop.  As the line died down, we packed it up at 1pm and headed into the back room to get changed. This was a very fun, and very crowded event. Third Eye staff were awesome as always and totally took care of us. Definitely a great time!  Congratulations to Bob Metcalf on his First Troop!!

Troopers:
Shep – IN
Jesse – TS
Jason – R2
Jess – TK
Brit – ID
Brian – TK
Bob – ID
Derrick – TK
Mrs. Meade – SL
Nick – TK (GA)
Thomas – TK

Squires:
Lue Metcalf
Dan Dinko

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5/6–DC United, DC

Most of us arrived around 1500 hours and went to the changing room that United had provided for us. We were all suited up and ready to go pretty much by 1600 hours when Adam escorted us to the Fan Zone, where we were to hang out and interact with the fans that came to the game. The doors opened up at 1700 hours, and we had a flood of fans excited to see everyone there and take some pictures with us. Before the game began, D.C. United had us line up with the kids soccer team to form lanes for the players to run through when they were announced. After that it was back to the Fan Zone, where we continued to interact with those fans hanging in the area. Around the half we decided to desuit and some of us stayed at the game while others left.

All in all another great time at D.C. United. For those that don’t know this is the last year United will be at RFK Stadium, next year they will be at a brand new stadium next to the Nationals’ park. Sadly, they won’t have the fan zone, as the stadium will follow along the lines of the Nationals. Adam said they are looking probably at a June/July game next year but it all depends on when the stadium opens.

Troopers:
Allen Shepherd
Emily Schram
Jeff Ryan
BJ Browne

Squire:
Nick Pasquariello

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5/6–Craig Paugh Wedding, Edgewater
TK-42129 arrived at around 445pm and made contact with the groom during cocktail hour. We knew this was a big fan right away, because when we approached him, he and the groomsmen were having pictures taken of their socks–which were all Stormtrooper socks. Shortly thereafter, the cavalry arrived–TK-86347 and the Admiral. We suited up in the parking lot at our cars and proceeded to the dinner tent at around 545pm. The DJ did us the honor of playing the Imperial March when we entered the tent, and all the guests were immediately surprised and overjoyed by our presence. Even the bride and groom were shocked–the groom was only expecting one trooper, and apparently the bride had been deliberately “misled” by the groom and told we weren’t coming at all. We posed for pictures in the dining tent with the happy couple and their guests, mingled for a bit, then made our way into the main building where they had an impressive Star Wars themed photo booth area set up. This was our base of operations for most of the evening, as there was a steady line of people waiting to get pictures taken with us. We did manage to make it out to the dance floor for a few songs, where we showed off our stellar dance moves. Around 815pm, the Admiral let the bride and groom know we were about to depart, so they could take a few photo booth shots with us before we left. We were provided with water and wedding pie–peach and Baltimore cookie bomb (both delicious). We departed around 830pm, receiving many thanks as we left.

Troopers:
Jess – TK
Bill – TK
Melissa – ID

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5/6–Lego 40th Anniversary Celebration, Hanover

We arrived at the mall around 9am and were staged in the back room to get suited up. At 10am, we moved into the store and just outside the store entrance to greet mall-goers. Along with Bob’s R2 and a few Mandos, we did the usual peace-keeping, photo-taking, and high-fiving, encouraging folks to look around the store. It really started to pick up around 11am to noon. A little after 12pm, we unsuited, did a little shopping, then went our own ways. The store gave us the R2 LEGO piece as thanks. Overall, it was a quiet but fun troop in a great environment.

Troopers:
Eric – TB
Matt – TK
Tom P – TI
Emily – Rex

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5/7–Blue Ribbon Project Open House, Crownsville

We all arrived between 9 and 9:30am and were joined by a small clan of Mandos and some Rebel scum.
We headed out at 10am, and were immediately asked for photos.  Some of the younger ones were a bit timid, but warmed up quickly – high-fives were contagious and plentiful.  Our host graciously provided us with coupons for food & drink from the food trucks – very much appreciated!  We were accidentally locked out of the room with our equipment bins (we suspect a plot from the Rebels), but that was quickly resolved with the ladder-truck from the participating fire department – much to the enjoyment of all present!

Troopers:
Bill T. – IS
Cheryl T. – ID
Melissa R. – ID
William R. – TK

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5/13–Maryland Walk for Williams Syndrome, Potomac

We arrived at 9:30am along with a clan of Mandalorians and a Clone trooper (patiently awaiting his 501st approval) and quickly suited up. The rain moved the opening events, but we were warmly greeted by organizers, parents, and these special kids. Smiles, hugs, and high-fives were plentiful. We posed for many pictures, including with the MOCO Fire Department (Clark was not on duty with them). We departed at 11 to attend Elijah’s Memorial; the Mando clan remained to the delight of the walkers.

Troopers:
Bill T. – IS
Cheryl T. – ID

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5/13–Memorial Service for Elijah Simpson, Silver Spring

Once we all got in kit, they had us line up on both sides of the hallway leading into the worship space for Elijah’s memorial service. Here we stood guard by his pictures as people walked in. We all wore orange arm bands as this was Elijah’s favorite color, and all guests that attended the service were also wearing orange. Once everyone was seated, we proceeded inside for the memorial service and remained in kit and standing the entire time. At the end of the service, they had us walk out before everyone as the organist played the Star Wars Fanfare. As we each reached the alter at the front of the worship space where his family was seated, we all took our buckets off out of respect for Elijah and his family.

We got out of kit after the memorial and proceeded downstairs for the reception wearing our OLG racing shirts. Many showed their appreciation with hugs and praise. It was a REALLY tough troop, and more than a few Troopers shed tears inside their bucket during the service. On a day as dark and somber as this, we were able to bring even just a little bit of joy and some smiles to people who needed it most.

Troopers:
Rob – SL
Jason – R2
Emily – CC
Cheryl – ID
Bill T. – IS
Bryan – BH
Devin – TB
Bill R. – TK
Melissa R. – ID
Jake – TK
Pat V – TK
Jess – TK

Squires:
Kami