Event Round Up, October & November
December 8th, 201710/7–Caiden turns 10, Laurel
We all arrived a little before 19:00 and changed in the restrooms. Once we were ready, the Emperor’s Hand and TK 86347 arrested the birthday boy while the pilots stood guard. We visited with the party goers and the pilots tried a video game where you drive simulated landspeeder-like vehicles around a virtual track. The roller rink staff were, perhaps, more excited to see us than the children and we posed for several photos. At 20:30, we said our goodbyes and headed back to change, leaving at 20:45.
Troopers:
James – TI
Melissa – TI
Stephanie – Mara Jade
William – TK
10/7–Walk for Autism, Ellicott City
Troopers arrived between 7 & 8 am; we gathered with members of the Saber Guild and our favorite R2-D2 unit in a pavilion to suit up. Runners and families were delighted to see us (especially R2). Several younglings impressed us with their knowledge of Imperial equipment and personnel. TI-13621 gave a short-course on TIE Fighter technology and configurations to a rapt group. We stood along the start line and gave high-fives to the runners as they began their race, and cheered and directed them to the finish line upon their return. After some final photos, we said our goodbyes and headed for Home.
Troopers:
Bill – IS
Cheryl – ID
Melissa – TI
William – TK
Jason – R2-D2
10/7–WALK to END Hydrocephalus, Baltimore
All troopers and rebel legion members completed the 5k walk along with several hundred members of the community. OLG troopers and fans combined in a team to raise $1526 for Hydrocephalus research through the foundation.
Troopers:
Devin – TB
Kyle – SL
Rebels:
Chloe – ANH Leia
10/7–St. Mary’s LexiCon, Lexington Park
Brian arrived right as Josh finished suiting up. They moved the changing area to the back offices/work room, to allow for easier suiting up. The Con was in the same spaces as last year, with vendor tables set up in the entry/foyer and panels/trivia going on in the two multi-purpose spaces. The library proper was not part of the event, though I did end up making a round through. There was a food truck out front this year, a welcome addition to not have to play Frogger getting to the closest restaurant.
Josh took post by the registration table to guard the staff from unruly teens, and Brian patrolled the small convention space. Periodically he made his way outside to beckon guests to the con and take pictures. The event started winding down around 2:30, and we de-suited at 3:00 when the crowd moved to the back rooms for the cosplay contest. All in all a nice local con.
Troopers:
Brian – TK
Josh – TR
10/13–SW Reading Night, Sandymount Elementary School, Finksburg
We started the event by walking into the school gymnasium where the children and families were waiting. After being introduced by the event organizer, we posed for a few pictures before heading to the library where we spent the majority of the troop. We interacted with and took photos with the students as they rotated through. After the last rotation, we went back to the gymnasium for a parade of the kids led by R2 and a few questions.
Troopers:
Andy – TB
Jason – R2
Melissa – ID
Michael – TI
Patrick – TS
William – TK
10/14–Star Wars Reads, Severna Park
We arrived at 10am and were led to our changing area in the back behind the front desk. The library was decorated with a dozen or so cardboard Star Wars standees which added to the atmosphere. There were several children anxiously awaiting, dressed in their Star Wars costumes as well. We then proceeded to get dressed and then assemble in the hall. Our host advised us that we could then go out and mix with the crowd of kids and parents who were waiting.
We entered the main library floor, where Charlie got us and the kids lined up for a brief QA session in which correct answers were rewarded with MD Cog pins and coloring books from the PR bin. The kids seemed to really enjoy this, and Charlie did a fantastic job as always in MC’ing the session. After about 15 minutes or so, we broke off into small groups for photos. We continued to take photos for about another hour before mingling with the other guests, answering questions, etc. After about 2 hours, we headed back to the changing room to change back into our civilian clothes and call it a day.
Troopers:
Bill – TI
Bry – TI
Charlie – ID
Cheryl – ID
Corey – TB (FIRST TROOP)
Eric – TB
James – TI
Jesse – TS
Marc – SL: Vader (FIRST TROOP)
Matt – TC
Melissa – TI
Patrick – TS
Ryan – TI
Stephanie – MJ
William – TK
GA:
Regan – GA DZ
10/14–MoCo Light the Night, Rockville
Troopers were able to home in on the astromech’s signal (yes, the same droid involved with the stolen Death Star plans) and find where to stage our campaign. We were joined by a visiting Jawa, and a pair of Jedi Knights were bold enough to taunt us (though they kept a safe distance). We made ourselves available for many photos and high-fives. The R2 droid played music to the delight of the crowd, especially a very small youngling, who eventually decided the music was good enough to dance to. As the walkers departed the staging area, flashlights in hand, we lined up and sent them on their way with more high-fives. We departed the walk, and the group met for some refreshment before heading home.
OLG Troopers:
Bill – IS
Cheryl – ID
Melissa – TI
William – ID
Visiting Troopers:
Kate – DZ
Droid Builders:
Jason – R2
Rebel Scu…uhh, Legion:
Norm G.
Joe F.
10/21–HCPL Comic Con, Bel Air
The library really expanded this event from last year! Rather than being confined to just a room or two, there were events and activities all over the library, and the crowd was steady and lively all day. Troopers started arriving around 9 and were suited up when the doors opened at 10. We wandered about the branch, taking pictures, giving high fives, and garnering smiles both inside and outside the building. As this was a longer event, we worked in shifts to keep it covered for almost the entire time. The library folks took care of us as usual with plenty of space for changing and pizza and waters for lunch. The last Troopers rolled out by 3.
Troopers:
Pat – TK
Dan – ID
Devin – TB
Bryan – CB
Chris – TR
Ryan – DZ (GA)
Squires:
Matt
Rebels:
Chloe – ANH Leia
Charles – Jedi
Joe – Jedi
10/21–Star Wars Party, Forest Hill
There are some parties where people aren’t really sure how to Star Wars. This was not one of those parties. These folks were HUGE fans and had plenty of memorabilia to prove it. They were very kind and really glad to have us there. Pat and I arrived around 4:30 and were suited up by 5, just as guests started to arrive. Most of the 30-40 people there were dressed in some kind of Star Wars costume. As their choices tended heavily rebel, however, it was a good thing we were present to keep lawlessness from breaking out. There was plenty of food, a movie screen in the back of the wooded lot, and several themed games ready to go. There was also a Death Star pinata, which the misguided youth took too much pleasure in beating apart. It was heartbreaking to watch. We wandered the yard, taking pictures and greeting guests for about an hour, departing for the evening just as the movie was about to start. The hostess was immensely grateful and said they would be taking up a collection for disaster relief. She is supposed to email me once the donation has been made.
Troopers:
Pat – TK
Chris – TR
10/26–Walk a thon, Bel Air Elementary School, Bel Air
We arrived a little before 1200 and started getting suited up. We were teamed with staff who also wore costumes, one of which was a Spider-Man suit and a pretty decent Batman suit that was definitely more than the Target special, and our organizer was Superman. The Bel Air Police Department joined us and had a McGruff suited up as well. The “good guys” were introduced, then us “bad guys” were brought out for the entire school to very high levels of cheers. Lots of kids were in hero costumes to do their walk around Bel Air and there were a lot of Star Wars fans in general attending the event. We high-fived a lot at the beginning, and met them about 2/3 through there walk for more high fives and pictures. It appeared to be a very positive experience with the kids and staff.
Troopers:
Rob – TB
Pat – TK
10/27–Haunted Halls, Joint Base Andrews
We arrived at about 17:30 and were shown to a conference room to change. At 18:00, we headed out and Levi showed us to the trunk-or-treat. We patrolled the area, taking pictures and handing out high fives. One youngling that was dressed as an owl took a good 15 minutes creeping up to us and building up confidence but couldn’t get enough of high fives and fist bumps at the end. Around 19:00, it started to get pretty dark, so we headed to the front of the haunted halls to hang out under the street lights. At 19:30 we headed in and left around 19:45. The attendance was a little sparse but this was a very fun event and we had a great time.
Troopers:
Melissa – TI
William – TK
10/28–KidsPeace 5K/1 Mile Walk, Baltimore
We arrived dark and early as the crew was setting up outside of the main gate. We met up with our contact and were shown to the Auxiliary Clubhouse to change. At 6:30, we headed out to greet the runners and walkers, who showed up in a fun array of costumes, including at least two poop emojis. We took lots of photos as the guests arrived and saw them off when the run began. Once the runners and walkers were away, we took a quick moment to sneak into the photo booth and to take a few selfies overlooking the field. We then arranged ourselves on the sidelines of the last stretch and cheered on the returning runners. Once everyone was back, we visited a bit more with some of the younger patrons before heading back down to change at 9:30. As with last year, this was a great event and they took great care of us, well worth the early start!
Troopers:
Melissa – TI
William – TK
Jason (R2)
Joe (Rebel Legion)
10/28–Family Fall Festival, Severn
The Church provided us with a changing room for our bins. The Maryland National Guard and Anne Arundel Police Department were present. Our contact Mary Jo Swartz Taylor helped out with a nice lunch and drinks. They had a covered pavilion for pictures and activities. The Rebel Legion, Mercs and R2 Builders club also joined in on this troop! As usual we all were accessories for R2! It was an excellent turnout and only a few kids cried, but overall it was a great time.
Troopers:
Ryan – TI
Jesse – TS
Mike – TB
Olivia – (GA)
Eric – TB
Nick – TK
Squires:
Dan & Lisa
10/28–Walk for Alzheimer’s, Baltimore
Troopers arrived at 9am to Canton Waterfront Park. After getting suited up, Rob was overwhelmed with joy to see the 1700 people who were attending for this to help raise money to end Alzheimer’s. The Troopers took many photos with participants, some of which are fairly popular in Maryland. We then did the 5k walk which lasted about an hour. Rob was also part of a team which raised $2000 for the cause!
Troopers:
Rob – TB
Bobby – GA Kylo
Squires:
Tiffany
Gabby
Valerie
10/28–Halloween Parade, Dundalk
We arrived at Eric’s house around 4pm and were led into his basement which housed his awesome SW collection. Eric and Chris provided us with refreshments as we got kitted up for the parade. After suiting up, we all formed up outside for some pics before heading down to the end of the street to meet up with the fire truck. After checking ID’s and searching for droids, we proceeded to patrol the neighborhood with the local fire department. We posed for many pictures and answered several questions. The kids seemed to really enjoy having us there. After some additional pics and games with the kids, we headed back to Eric’s house to break down. This was a fun little event in a beautiful neighborhood. Thanks for having us, Eric, and good luck on your approval.
Troopers:
Jesse Pollock – TS
Rob Heck – TK
Sebastian Danese – TK
Galactic Academy:
Bobby Heck – GASL – Kylo
Gabby Heck – GA ID
Niko Loucas – GATB
Aileen Danese – GADZ
10/28–Library of Congress popup exhibit, DC
Robert arrived at the LOC at 11am and met with our Imperial informant Shasha Dowdy who provided a tour and overview of the area of operations. Our main objective was to provide Imperial support and presence as well as scout out and recruit future Troopers. There were several Propaganda photos taken through out the facility and event. The Moff (The 14th Librarian of Congress) even mentioned our efforts. There was also a report of a Jedi being present. Overall people really enjoyed our presence and we were helpful in making the pop-up exhibit a success.
Trooper:
Robert Boyce – TI
10/28–Wedding – Havre de Grace
We arrived at 14:00 and the wedding planner was a bit surprised to see us. The bride was pretty good at keeping us a secret to everyone but the groom, to whom she had spilled the beans the night before. We dressed and positioned ourselves around the courtyard to greet the wedding party as they arrived at around 15:00, with Vader standing at the head of the staircase. It was a beautiful day and once the bridal party arrived, we posed for several pictures overlooking the water. TI-13621 was thrilled to be the tallest one in a photo when the photographer asked her to stand on a bench behind the bride; however, that excitement was short-lived when TC-35088 was asked to stand on the other bench and, once again, towered over the group. Once the photos were done, we headed up to the sidewalk level to greet the other wedding guests as they arrived and pose for a few more photos. Once all of the guests had filed in to the reception hall, we took a few more formal photos with the bride and groom before heading back down to the dressing area at 16:00.
Troopers:
Jason Pangborn (R2)
Marc Colburn
Matthew Ely
Melissa Ralph
William Ralph
Squire:
Kat
10/29–Buddy Walk, Baltimore
Jesse arrived at 8am and made contact with the Event Host, Brian, and parked over by Rash field. It was raining pretty heavily at this point. Brian had reserved a classroom for changing in the Science Center. Jesse made his way over and got suited up and then walked back over to the field area where registration and the vendor tents were set up. Jesse greeted the folks as they were registering and shortly after, made contact with Eric of the Rebel Legion. He led Jesse over to the tent that they had assigned to us. There was also another RL member who was participating in her first troop, dressed as Rey.
The kids were very happy to see us. We posed for dozens of pics, gave plenty of hugs and high fives, as well as congratulated all who cross the finish line. We even took pics with the Oriole Bird, and Poe the Ravens Mascot. This was a very fun event, despite the rainy conditions. Around 11am, we packed it up and headed out.
Troopers:
Jesse Pollock – TS
11/4–STEM Awareness, Columbia
We arrived at 08:30 to find that we were at the wrong location. A few more event demonstrators were in the same predicament, and we put our heads together to figure out the correct location. Fortunately, we were only slightly off and the event was at the middle school right next door to the high school. We were a little over-eager and ready to go by 9:30, which turned out to be a good thing because a few early birds had already arrived. We posed for pictures and dolled out high fives. The cafeteria area of the middle school had been set-up with tabletop demonstrations from both African American STEM organizations and some employers in the STEM fields. A particularly nice presentation featured posters and busts about notable African American STEM professionals. Farther on, we found a replica of one of the droids we’ve been looking for, a student-made small-scale replica of R2D2. Next door, in the gymnasium, there was a hands-on activity related to art and architecture. The Lt. Governor even stopped by to tour the exhibits. For us, though, the highlight of the event was one of its attendees. Young Claire, only 15 months old, was very taken with us and not the least bit scared. She came over to us several times for high fives or to just stare at us and giggle, each time reporting back to squire Rebecca with a lengthy discourse in babbles and squeals that, unfortunately, eluded all our attempts at translation. As the event began winding down at 12:30, we excused ourselves to take a break before the next event started. At 14:00 we re-entered the cafeteria, which had been turned over for the new event. There were different posters and a few different exhibitors while, for the most part, the employer groups remained the same. TI-13621 attempted to train in the use of a device called a stethoscope but, alas, it was not well suited for use with a helmet. After touring the exhibits we returned to the lobby for more greetings and high-fives. Only one youngling was afraid of us, but he eventually warmed up and conceded to a high-five. Towards the end of the event, the Governor of Maryland came through. He asked if TI-13621 and TK-36347 were on different sides and was quickly corrected by one of his aides, who knew that we both represented the empire. While the event was scheduled until 17:00, it began to wind down at 16:30 and, as it had been a long day, we retired to our classroom to change.
Troopers:
Melissa – TI
William – TK
Squire:
Rebecca
11/4-5–Brick Fest Live!, Timonium
Jesse arrived @ 845 and was shown to our area. He had the PR-Lite kit, and began to set that up before the event started. Jason already had R2 out and his backdrop set up as well. There were several other troopers there too. After we got the table set up, we all got suited up in our changing area behind the table. Our event contact then stopped by with a case of water for us and mentioned some events that he would like us to participate in. We then stepped out and started taking pics with the guests. The lines for photos were INSANE. We took hundreds of pictures throughout the day, signed autographs, and delivered many hi-fives and Alderaan fistbumps. All in all, it was a very fun set of days.
Troopers:
Bob Metcalf
Bryan White
Eric Grubb – Event Lead
Erin Blank
Jason Pangborn
Jesse Pollock
Lue Metcalf
Matt Blank
Matt Sullivan
Neil Shivelle
Rick Bouwhuis
GA:
Niko Loucas
Ethan Blank
Adin Blank
Squire:
Sam White
11/09–Children’s National Medical Center, Washington DC
What a wonderful and inspiring event! Our appearance at the Children’s National Medical Center was facilitated by Rebecca Hawk, who dressed as Anna from Frozen. She also brought in Batman, Captain America, The Green Arrow, a Jedi Knight, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and R2-D2. We were provided large changing rooms and a secure area to store our belongings on one of the upper floors of the hospital. We then proceeded down to the atrium at 1:00pm. The hospital had decorated the area with banners and balloons to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Ryan Seacrest Studios which allows them to share special guest appearances on the hospital TV network with the patients that are not able to leave their rooms. There was a gigantic cookie with frosting, a popcorn station, and a wagon full of Star Wars books. We posed for pictures with the many excited children and their families, and exchanged many high fives and fist bumps. The ceremony was wrapped up around 3:00pm with a raucous rendition of the Happy Birthday song and tons of confetti!
Troopers:
Charlie – TI
Jason Pangborn – R2
11/11–Stone & Skirts wedding, Essex
We arrived shortly before 14:00 and found that Jason had already secured us a changing room. We got suited up and hid in the bar/pool hall area from the groom, who didn’t know we were coming. Shortly after 15:00, the wedding began. TK-86347 and TI-13621 processed ahead of the bride, with R2 behind. We stood flanking the stage for the ceremony. After the ceremony, we left the hall and were announced as we re-entered. We danced and posed for informal photographs and then headed back outside for some formal photos. After more mingling and dancing, our gracious hosts insisted that we take a break for a few minutes and have some food. We obliged for a few minutes and then rejoined the festivities. After the dollar dance, the bouquet toss, and the garter, we stood guard while the bride and groom cut their cake. After that we said our goodbyes and headed back to change at about 17:30. Special shout-out to Johnny Adams, who stayed with us the whole time and took great care of us.
Troopers:
Jason – R2
William – TK
Melissa – TI
11/11–Veterans Day Parade, Ellicott City
After some running around, Emily and Patrick made it to the start of the parade and changed in the parking lot. Not long after, they met up with some Rebels. We got into position in the parade and made our way down to the clock in Old Ellicott City. At the end of the parade route, Patrick had to run to work while everyone else hung out for pictures.
Troopers:
Emily – CC
Patrick – TS
11/16/2017 – Battlefront 2 Launch, Severna Park
The Empire arrived at the location of the video game distribution center at 6:00pm and quickly took control of the area. After slogging through two hours of traffic surrounding Washington DC (no doubt caused by Rebel insurrection), Iden Versio arrived to provide reinforcement. A Jedi knight was also on the scene, but was not causing any trouble. The employees of the local establishment were thrilled with our Imperial presence, except for one Rebel sympathizer that was taken into custody. Electronic Arts bumped up the release time of Battlefront II to 9:00pm so that civilians could get a three hour head start on their Imperial training. Late into the troop, an undercover Imperial Staff Officer arrived dressed in standard civilian clothing matching the indigenous population. The agent proceeded to gather intel and provide incognito support. Around 11:00pm, several patrons came to the establishment and queued up to get the latest pocket monster simulation. The Empire wrapped up the troop at midnight and hit the rack for some much needed rest.
Troopers:
Nick – TK
Visiting Trooper:
Bria – Iden Versio
Rebel Rabble Rouser:
Joe – Jedi
Squires:
Charlie – Undercover Imperial Agent
Dan
Lisa
