from the Legion TK Project Raises $50,150 for Make-A-Wish Collectors and fans bidding on 53 customized Stormtrooper helmets at Star Wars Celebration V helped raise $50,150 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation through the 501st TK Project. With contributions from the likes of Dave Filoni, Seth Green, Jesse James... 5000 Strong for CV Just on the verge of Star Wars Celebration V , the 501st Legion surpassed the 5000-member milestone on August 10, 2010, with the approval of Midsouth Garrison member Joey Lester ( TK-6875 ). Long live the Empire! 501stCast Celebration V Primer Now Playing With just a few days to go before Star Wars Celebration V kicks off in Orlando, the official 501st podcast presents a special episode to prepare you for everything that "Vader's Fist" is bringing to the convention. Get exclusive insider... Artists Paint a Picture of Awesome at Celebration The 501st Legion is proud to claim many of the Star Wars Celebration V artists as Honorary Members (and in the cases of Matt Busch and Kevin Graham, full-fledged armor-wearing members!). While every piece of exclusive art is a worthy keepsake of... 501stCast Episode 58 Now Playing In this episode of the official 501st podcast, Jesse (TK-9311), Adam (RC-6124) and Joe (TK-6064) discuss the newest Honorary Members, the 501st TK Project, wrestling troopers, and the new Museum Replicas Stormtrooper armor, plus a few Celebration V... Vader's Bricks Todd Thuma, a 15-year member of the LEGO community, has teamed up with the 501st Legion to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation in unique "Imperial" fashion. With the support of fellow LEGO fans from around the world, Thuma donated about 30... Keep Up with the 501st at CV With more than twenty official 501st events scheduled for the 4-day Orlando convention, fans who want to keep up with Vader's Fist at Star Wars Celebration V can follow the Legion's every move using social media and mobile devices. Click here for the... TK Project Deadline Approaching! With this month's Star Wars Celebration V right around the corner, artists participating in the 501st TK Project are scrambling to complete their custom Stormtrooper helmets and all in the name of charity. Dozens of one-of-a-kind artistically-modified... Mission Accomplished: 10,000 Facebook Fans The 501st put out the challenge to reach 10,000 'likes' on Facebook by Star Wars Celebration V and the fans did not disappoint. With weeks to go before the August 12 convention kick-off date, supporters passed the 10,000 mark on July 28th and the... SDCC Day Four (Sunday, July 25) The 501st Legion hosts its "Dressing with the Empire" costuming panel from 3:45-4:45pm as San Diego Comic-Con International comes to a close. Don't forget to pick up your prizes if you took part in the Droid Hunt game! Also, be sure to catch...

from the MWG September 1, 2010 Star Wars Night at the Kane County Cougars on 9/3 at 7PM Come to the first Star Wars night at Elfstrom Stadium and watch the Kane County Cougars do battle with the Peoria Chiefs at 7PM! Meet some of your favorite Star Wars characters from the Midwest Garrison including Stormtroopers, Jawas, R2-S5, TIE Pilots, Jango Fett, and Darth Vader! Wear your favorite Star Wars costume and join the parade and contest on field, run the bases after the game, and then sit back and enjoy the fireworks show set to the music from Star Wars! This is one ballgame you won't want to miss! The gates open at 6PM; game starts at 7PM. Tickets are still available — simply click on the Cougars logo above to be taken to their website! May the Force be with you. August 30, 2010 “Weird” Al Yankovic in Rockford on 9/2 Get ready “Weird” Al fans! After completing a successful mission at the College of DuPage on Sunday, the Midwest Garrison and Wisconsin Garrison will be attending the Al concert at 7PM in Rockford at the Corodado Performing Arts Center this Thursday! A few tickets can still be had . . . don't miss out on this exciting concert! Coronado Performing Arts Center 314 N. Main St. Rockford, IL 61101-0476 August 5, 2010 DAYS AWAY! CELEBRATION V in Orlando, FL: August 12 – 15 Just a few short days away until Star Wars Celebration V hits Orlando! The Midwest Garrison and the 501st Legion will be in attendance!!! Come and have fun with Star Wars characters of all sorts. Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and the ongoing, weekly adventures of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Reed Exhibitions’ PopGroup will partner to produce what’s expected to be one of the largest official Star Wars fan events ever — featuring cast and crew celebrities, fan-run events, costumes, music, live entertainment, screenings, autographs, collectibles, panels and sneak peaks into the future of Star Wars. Star Wars Celebration V will take place August 12-15, 2010, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. A website, www.starwarscelebration.com, is dedicated exclusively to the event, and tickets to Star Wars Celebration V will be available for purchase. As always, Celebration will bring together the best of the Star Wars universe in one exciting, dynamic event. Star Wars creator George Lucas will make a special guest appearance at Star Wars Celebration V this August in Orlando. This will be the second Celebration appearance, and only the third Star Wars convention appearance for the writer/director, who last attended Celebration III in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2005. Lucas will appear onstage at a date and time yet to be scheduled during the four-day run of the show. June 9, 2010 New Science-Fiction/Fantasy convention: CYPHAN — 6/25-27 There's an exciting new con in town, and the MWG's very own Mike Bollow (TK7155) is the man at the helm. It's a sci-fi/fantasy con called CYPHAN and it will focus on costuming, collectibles, and big nightly parties. "It's like a little Dragon*Con for the Midwest." says Mike. The emphasis on costuming will be evident in the range of merchants, seminars, displays, and of course, the attendees themselves. "We don't have a convention in the Midwest that really focuses on our hobby. It's always us dressing up and attending somebody else's show, like Wizard World. This one is for US." The 501st MWG will not simply be there looking — pretty — they are active participants. Several members of the garrison are key staff members, and the garrison itself is running the free Droid Hunt as well as a Jail N' Bail with proceeds going to charity. The Droid Builder's club will also be there as a part of the display hall — a ballroom set aside for costume and fan groups to set up in and promote their organization. There are also some big time guest stars attending: Nicki Clyne from Battlestar Galactica and Jewel Staite from Firefly and SG-Atlantis. In regards to guest star selection, Mike says "I want to keep it simple — CURRENT stars that folks actually want to meet, and ones who actually want to meet the fans."  When asked about Star Wars guests, Mike offered hope for the future. "In 2011, there will be no Celebration so folks will not have just seen the SW stars. I want to wait until then to keep the excitement level high." When asked why the nightly parties were so high on Mike's priority list, he said "to me, a con is about the PEOPLE getting together. You can buy anything you want on-line, but you can't experience the electricity that you get when you are at a 3 day con with amazing people." The Friday night party is a costume contest with awards, followed by "cocktails until dawn" and Saturday night is the Imperial Ball. Yes, Imperial. Bust out your best attire and dance the night away with everybody from Batman to Gandalf.  Speaking of cocktails, CYPHAN is offering a totally unique experience that we Star Wars fans will appreciate more than most — a CANTINA! "The hotel has strict alcohol restrictions, so we needed a place where you can be in character, in a fantasy setting, and socialize freely."  Mike is turning a ballroom into a space themed cantina with a bar built by Chicagoland's #1 Hollywood prop shop — ACME Designs. "They are really excited about the project, and knowing their work it will be cool as can be!" CYPHAN is June 25-27, 2010 at the Westin Chicago North shore in Wheeling IL. I hope you can all make it out — this con is going to be worth the trip! Visit www.cyphan.com for info, discounted tickets, and hotel booking. May 21, 2010 CELEBRATION V in Orlando, FL: August 12 – 15 Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and the ongoing, weekly adventures of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Reed Exhibitions’ PopGroup will partner to produce what’s expected to be one of the largest official Star Wars fan events ever — featuring cast and crew celebrities, fan-run events, costumes, music, live entertainment, screenings, autographs, collectibles, panels and sneak peaks into the future of Star Wars. Star Wars Celebration V will take place August 12-15, 2010, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. A website, www.starwarscelebration.com, is dedicated exclusively to the event, and tickets to Star Wars Celebration V will be available for purchase. As always, Celebration will bring together the best of the Star Wars universe in one exciting, dynamic event. Star Wars creator George Lucas will make a special guest appearance at Star Wars Celebration V this August in Orlando. This will be the second Celebration appearance, and only the third Star Wars convention appearance for the writer/director, who last attended Celebration III in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2005. Lucas will appear onstage at a date and time yet to be scheduled during the four-day run of the show. May 20, 2010 Star Wars Weekends begin at Disney Celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back as Star Wars Weekends return to Disney's Hollywood Studios this weekend, May 21-23, with celebrity hosts Jeremy Bulloch and Ashley Eckstein as well as special guests Temuera Morrison, Daniel Logan and Dee Bradley Baker. Fans can ride Star Tours, challenge Darth Vader to a lightsaber battle, attend special presentations, and see the troops of the 501st Legion march every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the celebrity motorcade. Click here for all the details! May 7, 2010 MWG Charity Challenge BLOOD DRIVE COME ON OUT... to the MWG CHARITY CHALLENGE BLOOD DRIVE!!! All those who can give blood are encouraged to do so . . . make sure to bring family and friends as well as the camera! IF YOU CAN NOT GIVE BLOOD FOR MEDICAL REASONS — no worries . . . in addition to donating blood, the Star Wars characters will be there to pose for photos and there will be a table set up for temporary tattoos. Date: May 22, 2010 Time: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Place: LifeSource- Orland Park donor center 11120 West 179th Street Orland Park, IL LINK TO MAP IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE BLOOD, PLEASE SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TIME AT : [/color] [url=http://www.lifesource.org/]WWW.LIFESOURCE.ORG CLICK ON “LOCATE A DONOR CENTER” - CLICK ON THE “ORLAND PARK” ICON - FOLLOW THE PROMPTS ON THE RIGHT TO LOG IN AS AN EXISTING DONOR or - TO SET UP YOUR NEW DONOR PROFILE IF YOU ARE NOT YET A DONOR YOU CAN THEN MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT! IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL WHO HAVE THE INTENTION TO DONATE GO ONLINE AND SIGN UP. [/color]We would like to honor and respect everyone’s time, plus this will help to determine the need for possible additional staff that day. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact LifeSource at 877- LIFESOURCE (543-3768). Appointments Recommended. Walk-ins Welcome! May 7, 2010 DK Donates $50,000 in Books on Behalf of 501st Legion In an inspiring act of gratitude for countless hours of costumed volunteerism, DK Publishing (responsible for the popular Star Wars "Visual Dictionary" book series) announced a $50,000 children's book donation on behalf of the 501st Legion. More than 7,000 new, full-color reference books are being distributed to The Boys and Girls Clubs of America with help from The Today Show Charitable Foundation, Inc. "We wanted to thank the 501st Legion in a big way," said DK's Associate Director of Publicity, Rachel Kempster. “We know that children’s charities are near and dear to hearts of all 501st volunteers." Based upon the success of last year's LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary events, fans can look forward to more DK/501st collaborations this year! April 19, 2010 C2E2 4/16-18 C2E2: a first-time convention here in Chicago on the weekend of April 16-18. The show itself was very well done, and had a lot to offer serious comic book collectors including autographs from the very well known comic artists to independent creators. Lots of vendors, panel discussions, and plenty of everything else to keep one occupied over the weekend. The Midwest Garrison was invited to C2E2 as part of their entertainment, and we were treated very well by Reed Expo/Pop Culture (who also puts on NY Comic Con). Some early feedback from the show organizers is that they were extremely happy with us at the show. There were several Star Wars celebs on hand to do autographs including Carrie Fisher. We were asked to hang out near the C5 booth, promote C5 at the show, and to create interest at the SW autographing tables in the traditional autograph area. We also ran a Droid Hunt during the convention on Friday through Saturday with many prizes from Sideshow Collectibles, Dark Horse, ACME Archives Direct, Gentle Giant Ltd., Hasbro, and some really cool stuff from the Lucasfilm archives. The Droid Hunt badges were illustrated by the crazy talented (and extremely generous) artist, Katie Cook; printing and lanyards were sponsored by DK Publishing! Several members from Old Line Garrison, Star Garrison, Bloodfin Garrison, Central Garrison, Great Lakes Garrison, and Wisconsin Garrison also attended the show with us along with a Slave Leia from Louisiana. (this photo courtesy of SANDTROOPERS.com) February 7, 2010 Trooper Spotlight on Phyllis Schulte Spotlight is on our NEW GARRISON CHARITY LIASON, Phyllis Schulte, aka TI/TK-1951! Phyllis is known for her skill with a needle and thread as can be seen by her incredible Rebel costumes. She's a multiple recipient of TotM and with good reason. You'd be hard-pressed to find a MWG member that is as caring and dedicated as Phyllis. I know you have a TK as far as imperial costumes are concerned, but I am fairly certain you prefer your rebel costumes. I can think of a bunch that you have (the Hoth trooper is my favorite), but can you do me a favor and list all of those incredible rebel costumes you have, and just briefly tell us the biggest challenge you had with each one? Jedi - 5 different tunic sets Rebel Fleet Trooper Yavin Tech gray version Yavin Tech tan version Hoth Trench Trooper Hoth Hangar Trooper Hoth Tech Endor Rebel Commando X-Wing Pilot Smuggler For the Imperial side of things I just have TK and ID. The Hoth Trench Trooper was far and above the most difficult costume I have done. There were no tutorials, little reference material, dozens of pieces and you had to make EVERYTHING from scratch. Out of those, which is YOUR favorite and why? Jedi remains my favorite because Jedi simply do kick serious butt and in a way, they are like me and in tune to nature and all living things around them. What got you into costuming with the Rebel Legion and the 501st, and how long have you been a member of both? Again, it has all to do with Jedi. I have been a SW fan since the beginning (I was 26 years old when "A New Hope" came out..and I was in awe) but it was not until Episode One when Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi stepped on to the screen and showed us what Jedi in their prime could actually do that I found that I just HAD to have a Jedi costume. I had never sewn before or had a sewing machine so I sewed my first Jedi costume by hand with no idea of what I was doing. When attempting to make my costume better I found my first costume group which was "The Jedi Assembly". I joined them in 2002 when they started. I found out about the 501st and the Rebel Legion at Celebration II in Indianapolis. I was blown away by all of costumes. Like a doofus, I entered the Costume Contest at C2 with my really crummy (at the time) Jedi costume and I happened to meet a certain Imperial Officer and her daughter Quincy. That Imperial Officer was, of course, Kathy Van B. Her Officer looked so spiffy that I said...man...I have GOT to have me one of those. I joined the 501st with my Officer in 2004. I have been a member of the Rebel Legion since Aug. 2002. What has been your most memorable event and why? Most memorable - "Max's Wish". It is still hard to believe that Max is gone and also was a testament on what we can accomplish as a group. Close second is the Camp Quality event. Each and every event, however, is always memorable for me and I feel really lucky to have been able to do so many. Tell us something about yourself that most people may not know? (hobbies, etc...) Most everyone knows already that I am a volunteer restoration tech for the FPDWC and have been actively restoring about 300 acres for nearly 20 years. To that end I am a licensed Wildfire Fighter, Chainsaw certified, Pesticide Operator and Applicator, and butterfly monitor. As an avid home gardener I preserve a lot of fruit and vegetables from my garden..I even ferment and put up my own sauerkraut. I am also a gear head and though I can't afford it anymore, I used to race and show my 1964 GTO regularly in the 1970's. I still have the GTO - but sadly-it is not running right now. Any plans for any new costumes in the near future, Rebel or otherwise? 5 Costumes ago I said I was not making anymore costumes....lol...so who knows.. I have had my eye on the Naboo Pilot. But really next is the Hoth Snowspeeder Pilot which is a couple items that are added to my X-Wing Pilot to make it a Snowspeeder Pilot. What is your favorite part about being a part of the 501st/Rebel Legion? I think that it is the fact that we can make a charitable impact doing something we actually love doing. Again, events like Max's, Isaac's, Camp Quality and the T-Ratts game spring to mind. It is also the reaction of "Star Wars Fans". SW fans are so incredible and always soooooo happy to see us. Anything else that you wanted to add about yourself? No...not really. I am already a "blabbermouth" on the boards. (She's not...) 1st Annual MWG Formal Awards Banquet Trooper Spotlight on Cheryl Whitaker Trooper Spotlight on Kent Heath view all blog entries... Powered by phpBB Blog.

Events Oct 2nd 2010 IL-NORMAL-Buddy Walk for Downs Syndrome-Oct 2, 2010 Events By Month >> 501st Legion Where's Everyone Else? The Midwest Garrison serves Illinois. If you're looking for other troops elsewhere, click above to explore where more troopers may be!