Kids are mostly used to thinking of "Star Wars" happening a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, but on Saturday, Stormtroopers and Jawas will overrun the Rosemount Steeple Center. And according to Mike Fessler, the characters at the town's first "Star Wars" Extravaganza should be pretty convincing.
"We get into it," said Fessler, a volunteer with the 501st Legion's Central Garrison, a regional unit of an international Star Wars costuming group.
"All of the costumes have to be movie-quality replicas," he said. "None of us are running around in a costume we bought at Target."
Fessler, a lifelong fan of the saga, dresses as a Stormtrooper and a biker scout, and like other volunteers, he made the costumes himself and had them evaluated by a committee before bringing the characters to life.
As a result, when kids see them, he said, "they run up, give us high-fives, give us hugs."
"They are going to knock those kids' socks off," said Jo Gilbertson, a volunteer with Friends of the Robert Trail Library. "It's going to be so exciting."
Gilbertson's organization collaborated with library staff and the Rosemount Area Arts Council to put on the celebration of the popular adventure series — complete with light saber battles, "Wookiee Cookies" and activities such as Death Star bowling and origami Yoda. They have been planning it for a year. "It's a big event," she said.
Kids will have a chance to play original "Star Wars" video games designed by students at Dakota County Area Learning School in Rosemount, an alternative learning center for nine area school districts.
