If you missed a chance to visit with the Empire, come be sure to stop by the AACoPL Mountain Road Branch on Tuesday, March 8th from 7:00pm – 8:00pm!

Join members of the Garrison and of Terrapin Base on Saturday, February 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m at Broadneck Library
1275 Green Holly Drive, Annapolis, MD 21409
410-222-1905

Don’t forget your camera and, of course, your library card!

Icarus at the Edge of Time Science and sound collide when famed physicist and author of The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene, teams up with American composer and Baltimore native Philip Glass in this multi-media recreation of Greene’s board book for children, Icarus at the Edge of Time. Led by Marin Alsop, this cautionary tale with mythological roots depicts a young boy’s accidental adventure to a black hole. Children 6-18 are half price for non-premium seating.

Fri, Jan. 14 8PM performance
Sun, Jan. 16 3PM performance
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
1212 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Sat, Jan. 15 8PM performance
The Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852

For more information, please visit  

We hope to see you there!

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has invited Rebel Legion and 501st Members in the area to appear during their Icarus at the Edge of Time program, to be performed January 14th, 15th and 16th. Check out the BSO site for more info http://www.bsomusic.org/main.taf?p=3,1,6,4

Additionally, a team of members has decided to take the plunge this year and raise money for Special Olympics at the Maryland State Police’s 15th Annual Polar Bear Plunge! While the team will leave their TK armor safe and warm at home, members will be diving into fund-raising for this Maryland tradition.

Because Some Like It Hoth!

Donations for Team Old Line Garrison can be made online at http://plunge15.kintera.org/teamoldlinegarrison

We hope to see you there!

Join us on Saturday, December 4th from 11am to 2pm at the Coldwell Banker Office in Ellicott City (6031 University Blvd).  Donate a new, unwrapped toy to Toys for Tots and receive a photo with your favorite Star Wars Characters!

Check out the flyer here: Toys for Tots

On Sunday, December 5th, catch site of Dath Vader and other characters in the Mayor’s Christmas Parade! http://www.mayorschristmasparade.com/

Do you know the Secrets of Darth Maul?  Lucas Film will premiere never-before-seen episodes of The Clone Wars in DC on December 8th.  Don’t forget to bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots!

To continue in the spirit of giving, OLG has been invited to participate in another Toys for Tots drive at Marley Station Mall in Glen Burnie, MD.  Receive a ticket for your donation of a new, unwrapped toy to have your photo taken with your favorite characters! We’ll be there on December 18th from 10:00am to 2:30pm.

Best Wishes This Holiday Season!

Also mentioned in the article; the Tournament of Roses Parade, which both Oz and Garrison Merchandising Officer, Rob Slater (TK 5422), marched.  Additionally, there is reference to our recent Halloween troop, where Garrison Membership Officer Bill Ray (TK 37) and member James Gajarsa (TK 5530) wowed special guests at the White House.  

July 20, 2010
http://detnews.com/article/20100720/ENT02/7200383

Stormtroopers bring ‘Star Wars’ to galaxy much closer to home

SANDY COHEN
Associated Press
– On the outside, they all look the same: white armor, white helmets, black blaster rifles. Imperial soldiers from a galaxy far, far away, they’re loyal only to the Empire and recognizable everywhere as “Star Wars” stormtroopers.

Inside, though, are different stories. Those armored clones are lovingly occupied by moms, dads, doctors, cops, lawyers, exterminators, artists and other passionate “Star Wars” fans who devote thousands of dollars and countless hours to building screen-accurate costumes and wearing them all over the world to support the beloved franchise as well as dozens of children’s charities.

They are the 501st Legion, an international, all-volunteer costuming group. And this week, they’re coming to Comic-Con.

“It’s a major event for us every year,” says Christi Ladnier, 42, a mother of three who will be wearing an eight-years-in-the-making homemade Boba Fett costume. (Legion members dress as all kinds of “Star Wars” characters, with stormtroopers the most popular.)

At least 200 members of the group — which boasts nearly 5,000 members in 40 countries — will be in full costume at the annual pop-culture festival, held Thursday through Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center. 

Comic-Con is just one of dozens of events Legion members attend each year. A major supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Legion members also lend their Imperial glory to children’s hospitals, the Ronald McDonald House, the American Cancer Society, Toys for Tots, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and March of Dimes. They’ve appeared in commercials, marched alongside “Star Wars” creator George Lucas in the Tournament of Roses parade and handed out Halloween candy at the White House. 

Charity is at the heart of the 501st Legion, and friendship and fandom are its soul, but it really comes down to the costumes. 

Their stormtrooper outfits aren’t store bought, nor are they cheap, and they must be identical to what’s in the original films to be good enough. The Legion’s standards division assesses the screen-accuracy of each member’s attire. 

Stormtrooper armor is made from vacuum-formed plastic, heated in home ovens and poured over molds meticulously sculpted based on careful analysis of the characters on screen. The artisans who make the outfits are Legion members themselves, and they sell their work for practically no profit under a unique agreement with Lucasfilm, owner of the “Star Wars” franchise. 

The company allows the fan group to use its intellectual property without fee or fine so long as the costumes, T-shirts and collectible coins that result are strictly for Legion members. 

“It’s an extended family,” says Steve Sansweet, Lucasfilm’s director of content management, describing copyright concerns as “a non-issue” with the 501st Legion. 

Marcelo Gallo, 43, of Riverside, Calif., discovered hidden artistic talents when he decided to make his own stormtrooper helmet. A married father of five and owner of a pest-control business, he spent his free time researching how to make molds and vacuum form plastic. Now he’s built hundreds of helmets for fellow members and charity auctions. 

“Sometimes I wish I could do this every day, but I can’t make it a top priority in my life because it’s not a source of income,” he says, adding that any money he makes goes back into the club and his costume. 

Mike Ozeroglu, 36, of Glendale, Calif., a radiation therapy physicist with the U.S. Navy, ended up doing all the leatherwork on his Jango Fett costume. 

“It’s not something that you can just buy. You pretty much have to make it yourself,” says Ozeroglu, adding that refining the costume is a continuous process. “I’ve been working on that Jango Fett literally since I first started in 2004.” 

While he loves to “geek out on ‘Star Wars’ fandom,” he says the real reward is bringing joy to sick kids. 

“The most fun is where we go off to the hospitals,” he says. “The kids really think you’re the character most of the time. It’s fun to go in there and cheer them up a little bit. The following Monday I’m there as a staff officer and nobody knows I was there over the weekend.” 

Though the helmets can get hot, they also help hide emotions and keep these costumed fans firmly in character, says Ladnier, who lives in Highland, Calif. “Sometimes you’re glad you have a bucket on your head because you just start welling up.” The costume itself also can be uncomfortable. Beneath the armor, which breaks down into some 60 pieces, members wear long-sleeved shirts and leggings, plus a swath of fabric around their necks. It takes around 20 minutes to get in costume. Wearers can be a bit clumsy, too, since the helmets obscure peripheral vision. 
But owning and wearing the stormtrooper suit is the ultimate fan experience, says Los Angeles attorney Lawrence Green, who says he’s “over 30.” 

“Some people collect action figures,” he says. “We get to BE action figures.” 

Doing charity work began as an afterthought, says Legion founder Albin Johnson, but is now at the core of the group’s activities. 

“We had to find things for people to do in armor,” says the 41-year-old from Columbia, S.C. “And charity would validate us in a way that says, ‘Hey, world, you can make fun of us as kind of goofy but we’re justifying what we’re doing by charity alone.’” 

A decade later, the Legion’s charitable outreach extends both inside and outside the group. Members have donated kidneys to each other — twice. When Johnson’s daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Legion members cooked dinners for the family, cleaned their house and mowed their lawn. 

“These guys are literally giving parts of themselves to keep other ‘Star Wars’ fans alive and well,” Sansweet says. “They’re giving back to all fans by doing what they do and providing this sense of wonder and excitement.” 
So what makes grown adults spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to dress up like fictional characters from their favorite film? Ultimately, its camaraderie, says Johnson, and esprit de corps. 

“Every human being is a social animal, but a lot of sci-fi geeks aren’t seen that way,” he says. “It’s successful because you’ve got a lot of people that say they had no way of celebrating ‘Star Wars’ fandom in a way that felt good until they had people to do it with, charities to do it for and events to do it at.” 

© Copyright 2010 The Detroit News. All rights reserved.

Have you purchased your ticket yet?

This Saturday, members of Maryland & DC’s Old Line Garrison will be participating in this amazing multi-media event at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

The show is great for adults and kids alike, featuring music from all six movies played by a full symphony orchestra and choir.  Anothony Danieals (C-3PO) will narrate while scenes from the films are played and lasers dance in time.

Also, while meeting Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and a host of other characters before the performance, you ‘ll be able to enjoy an exlusive exhibit featuring props and costumes from the films! 

Tickets for two shows are available:

2:00PM (doors open at 12:30)

7:00PM (doors open at 5:30)

Check out the Verizon Center’s Star Wars in Concert page for more information.

We hope to see you there!

DK has requested that members of the 501st Legion’s Old Line Garrison participate in the American Library Conference at the DC Convention Center on June 26th! We hope to see you there!

First Stop: New York City, Times Square

Who can resist the Bright Lights of Broadway?

Next Stop: Paris, Eiffel Tower

Our Jawa friends love to visit tall landmarks.

Destination 3: Easter Island

What would a vacation be without giant stone sculptures?