This past weekend in Joliet Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, the Joliet library hosted its 6th Annual Star Wars Day. This was my first year attending the event and after a fun day of Star Wars activities I will be returning next year! The festival kicked off with a huge 501st and Rebel Legion parade with over 100 “troopers” patrolling the streets being lead by a marching band. After the parade the members of the Midwest Garrison took an epic group photo and then went to the streets to pose for pictures with the thousands of people attending this event.
Inside the Joliet Library itself, authors John Jackson Miller, Adam Bray and Keith Ryan Kappel met with kids and signed autographs. The shelves in the library were filled with Star Wars books and a card scavenger hunt was underway.
Outside the streets were lined with vendors selling food and hard to find toys and other Star Wars items. The marching band and a Klingon band played for an audience.
This is a growing event in the Chicago-land area and I’m sure next year will even be bigger. At this point it is said that 7000 people attended the parade but no final attendance numbers as of yet.