By Luke McCormick
On Saturday afternoon the corner of Walnut and 15th Street in Murphysboro was invaded by imperial forces.
Storm troopers occupied the sidewalk directing people to the town’s first-ever Star Wars convention.
The convention was held to coincide with the showing of “Return of the Jedi” at the Liberty Theater. Two years ago, Kathy Guetersloh decided to show “A New Hope” and continued last year by screening “Empire Strikes Back.”
The convention came to fruition because people came out of the films the past two years asking what else there was to do. Guetersloh, her husband and son attended the 30th anniversary Star Wars convention in L.A. two years ago and had the idea to give Murphysboro one of their own.
Funds raised at the festival and ticket sales from the movies went to the Shoes That Fit charity, which purchases new shoes for needy children.
Last year the “Empire Strikes Back” screening was able to fulfill 300 requests for shoes and Guetersloh said this year they were looking to fill just as many.
The festival was a hit as children and adults alike looked through the memorabilia and upon the costumed characters with delight and all for a good cause.
When it comes to Star Wars, I’m not too well versed. I recall having a brief stint of Jedi fever when I was younger, however as I grew older, my science-fiction tastes moved elsewhere.
The convention this past Saturday was a reminder of how much this series of films means to some people. So much to the extent of purchasing a Storm trooper suit fully-equipped with a voice modulation device.
Whether you think of them as geeks, nerds or downright crazy for being so involved with a fictional world, these people channeled their love into something worthwhile this past weekend. Because of this convention many children are going to have much warmer feet come wintertime.
