By Laura Bailey
Guests of all ages dressed as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia and many classic favorites came from all over the country to celebrate their favorite franchise in style at Downtown Live’s “Star Wars Day: May the Fourth Be with You” at the Rockwell Theater on Saturday.
“This event brought people from Arizona, New Jersey, Florida, Canada and many other states, and also all around Connecticut and New England,” BPRYCS Arts & Culture Supervisor Arianna Therriault said of the hundreds who attended the show.
“It was truly a very unique experience with a new crowd and brand-new patrons. A lot of the patrons stayed in Bristol hotels and dined at our eateries, too; It’s so great to see the prosperity this theater is bringing our city.”
The celebration kicked off with a live broadcast of the podcast Rebel Force Radio. Hosts Jimmy Mac and Jason Swank spoke about their favorite Star Wars films, shows and memories. Among the many podcast guests was EGOT-winning composer Robert Lopez, who spoke of his fondness for the Max Rebo Band.
Onstage with the podcasters were High Adventure, a Connecticut-based rock band performing original Star Wars-themed songs and classic covers. The audience sang along to High Adventure’s “The Way of Qui-Gon Jinn,” and cheered for their high-energy performance of John William’s classic “Imperial March.”
“The podcast folks, from Rebel Force Radio, Jimmy Mac and Jason Swank, did amazing on stage with the High Adventure band backing them up too,” Therriault said. “Overall, it was just such a neat day with so many unique aspects.”
Left: Younglings engaging in lightsaber training. Right: An excited youngling meets Clone Captain Rex. | Laura Bailey
Throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to delight in savory culinary favorites from Szabo’s Seafood Truck and Greer’s Chicken as well as sweet treats available from Daren’s Ice Cream. Bakery on Maple had Star Wars-themed treats for sale, including lightsaber pretzel sticks and Chewbacca-shaped gingerbread “wookie cookies.”
Vendors were onsite selling their favorite Star Wars merchandise from vintage figures to comics and custom art. Among the visitors patronizing vendors was Massachusetts resident Rich Kelley, who attended the event with his wife and three children.
“I was looking for Star Wars Day things to do,” Kelley said. “There were a lot of places doing Trivia nights, but not much else. When I heard someone was showing Empire on a big screen, I knew that my family would love it. I didn’t know this theater was here; I really hope that they do it again next year.”
The highlight for many younglings in attendance was the opportunity to attend lightsaber training with Jedi Rey Skywalker and learn the ways of The Force. Bolts of blue, green, gold and purple lit that stage as future Jedi learned how to safely wield their (plastic) energy swords.
The children were instructed by members of Kessel Temple, the Connecticut chapter of Saber Guild. The volunteers from the not-for-profit fan group perform at events to raise money for charity. On Saturday, they raised money for the Advancing Heroes Fund – In Memory of Jeffrey Vrlik.
The celebration concluded with a screening of fan favorite “The Empire Strikes Back,” a film widely considered amongst cinephiles to be one of the greatest movies of all-time. The lively audience cheered at the first appearance of Yoda, booed when Emperor Palpatine appeared and applauded wildly at the iconic line “I am your father” delivered by Darth Vader.
“Seeing the first in-costume folks show up; that was absolutely stellar,” Therriault said. “Then the Padawan training with the kids was very cute, and when the film started with that iconic music, the cheers and excitement was so very heartwarming.”
“Since this went so well, we might look into other mini events like this,” Therriault continued, “or potentially bringing back ‘May the Fourth’ for next year; we’ll see what the future brings.”
Laura Bailey can be reached at lbailey@bristoledition.org
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