Even before the children saw Episodes IV-VI of the original “Star Wars” trilogy (which was a mere 5 weeks ago), they had started streaming “Clone Wars” episodes via Netflix. I wasn’t sure if these shows were appropriate for small children or not, as they usually turned it on Saturday mornings about 6:30a.m. I just knew I liked that they knew who Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were.
So, when Labor Day weekend rolled around this year, I knew their interest in the annual Dragon*Con parade at 10a.m. Saturday morning would be greater than it had ever been (only the 8-year-old had been before, and she didn’t remember it). In fact, all weekend (and on the drive downtown), they referred to it as the “Star Wars parade.” I didn’t tell them there’d be other characters portrayed, too, and that the ones from the “Star Wars” movies would actually be last. We lined up by the press section (where we saw my friend Trey, whose pictures of the parade are excellent) , and they let the children sit in front of them for a better viewing.
After about half an hour of movie, video game, and comic book hero or villian impersonators walked by, the folks we’d come to see began.
But first, we bonded with of the of the spectators standing nearby. And then…
The boy bonded with the Storm Troopers; the youngest girl with Chewbacca. They loved it.
The parade ended with Lord Vader himself, in all his evil glory.
As they walked toward the car (so I could head to the Georgia Dome for the Alabama-West Virginia game), my son asked, “Next time we’re at your parents’ house, can we look for your old Star Wars action figures? I bet they’re in the attic, right?”
“Absolutely…I think they’d be happier in your room than a hot attic anyway!”