9th 501st and Friends Stormtrooper Meeting, Bayern Park, Germany.

The day was finally upon us and Derek Lyons, Pam Rose, John Chapman and I were finally there in the deep south of Germany for the 9th Annual 501st and Friends Meeting in Bayern Park, Bavaria!

We flew from Heathrow with Lufthansa and made excellent time, arriving in Munich 10 minutes early. Met by Ulli Pallor of the Austrian Garrison, Michael Robl of the German Garrison and some of the girls also of the 501st German Garrison, we headed off in the direction of Reisbach, in the vicinity of Bayern Park.

After heavy rain the last few days, we appeared to have brought the good weather in tow and, indeed, the temperature was 31 C today.  We continued first to the hotel, Das Hotel Schlappinger Hof, which Derek and I had previously stayed in the year before and checked in. Ulli took us out to meet with the members of the 501st already setting up on the camping ground by the park and we then went to meet the charming family who own and operate the park.

I must say, this park is a country idyll, with clean paths and rigorously maintained lawns and borders as well as state-of-the-art rides and amusements for the whole family. I wish our amusement parks were of this sort of standard! Children can run free in safety and the staff are delightful. One price on the gate and and everything is free within!

The latest ride inaugurated for our visit - Der Freischutz

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped off for a pizza and relaxed in the heat of the late afternoon, as the heavens decided to open and pour down for 20 minutes. It refreshed the air and we had a delicious meal.

Day 2 started with a blazing hot sun and the drive back to the park. On arrival, even though we were early, a large queue had already formed and so we went straight in and met up with Garrison members from Austria, Switzerland and Germany and members of the Rebel Legion, who were also trooping the event. In all, over 150 costumers in full costume, as well as children in brilliant costumes as good as those of their parents, were there to troop!

The next generation is already in training! LOL

The day got underway with welcoming speeches given by Ulli Pallor, who then introduced each of us to the crowd. We also expressed our appreciation for the opportunity to appear with our friends and to meet so many of the public. The gate was in excess of 10,000, but not all could crowd into the small plaza where we were being presented. I picked up my camera and discreetly made a quick pass of the crowd to give an impression of the numbers present...

I applaud all of the 150+ costumers of the German and visiting Garrisons for trooping tirelessly in full costume in the heat! This day the temperature rose to 34 C before midday and very humid!!! But you can't keep a true Star Wars fan down and all trooped with amazing good humour! The public gave all the guys and girls fantastic receptions as they toured the park, posing with kids and parents alike and joining in the fun.

The crowd massed to see what photos we had brought with us and any other novelties, as Derek and I had done the year before. I had sat down a few days earlier and made up a load of bookmarks for each of us and we had all brought a variety of cards, figures and t-shirts to help the event along. As in Stockholm, Her Majesty The Queen was in attendance on my table waving cheerfully to the public!!! I told the kids and their parents it was my way of getting my taxes back for all she cost us! Don't suppose I'll get a knighthood now!!! LOLOL

John Chapman was very popular with his comic books of the adventures of Jonnie Rocket - great books for kids of all ages, and especially those learning English!


Lunch came and went and I once again remained signing throughout, missing my Wienerschnitzel and fries! But I didn't mind - I had the very lovely Daniela Hofman helping me with the throng and we battled on in good humour to the end of the day. The public spoke confidently to me in the certain knowledge I would understand them, as I had made my little opening speech in German at the beginning. I was met with accents and dialects I had never heard before. Truly, people had come from far and wide for this event!!!

Amongst the highlights of the day were three particular children. Firstly, the one month premature baby daughter of Andrea and Michael (who had collected us from the airport and driven us to the park), just two weeks old and pushed by her father in costume in a converted buggy made to look like a Sand Crawler! :)

Another little darling, Rebecca, settled happily into my arm and stayed with me a long time - I was reluctant to hand her back as she was so well behaved.

Baby Rebecca with me, Daniela and Ulli's daughter, Constanze.

The Sand Crawler buggy! :)

Baby Rebecca with her mother Nicole! A perfect little bruiser with a sunny disposition - the baby that is LOL!!!

Hardly a baby anymore, but #3 - this cheeky little chappy preferred to stand on my hand!

The day was a huge success and we all felt we had had a really satisfying experience with the children and their parents! Although I was exhausted from the heat and the fact I had managed to stand up just three times during the day, I felt blessed to have met so many friendly and good-natured people.

That evening, we all returned to the park for a BBQ with the 501st members camping there. The sky was bejewelled and clear and the International Space Station tracked acroess the sky on queue! Amongst the attendees was a lovely girl, Katje, with her dog, Sophie - a cross Miniature Pincher/Chihuahua. Katje Beham lived a while in the States and her English is really great! We chatted for quite some time and Sophie made my lap her bed. A nice feeling of home-comfort and lovely food and company!

Sophie and her 'Mum' Katje. Andrea Rilli and Ulli Pallor behind.

Next day, we travelled out to Passau to have lunch at the same outdoor restaurant as last year (yummy Schweinshaxe!) and then on to the Cathedral for a quick look round. The Cathedral is beautiful, with a wonderful mixture of Gothic, Baroque and Rococo. We could all have spent longer there, but tempus fugit!

A view down the aisle towards the Gothic Choir.

The beautiful painted roundels in the ceiling of the nave.

We then moved on to visit a vast and sprawling castle on the Austrian-German border at Burghausen. This, we were informed, if the longest castle in Germany - 1 km long!!! I am afraid, as beautiful as it was and as much as I wanted to see it all, I managed to walk only a third of the way in and back out! The castle seems to have originated in the late 11th century and been added to century by century. The only direction it could grow was backwards along a ridge between two rivers and thus the longest castle grew out of the rock!

The entrance to one of many courtyards across a wooden bridge.

And another courtyard, dated above the arch 1533....panting by now! LOL

A courtyard too far!!!!!!

Michael Robl in his Lederhosen by a plan of the castle.

Pam and I stuck together as the others went on ahead. We found a small door in an outside wall and found ourselves above the town and by a sign asking us not to feed the goats!!! Believe me, only goats could have lived on that vertiginous slope!

Pam with the town behind...

And so, back to Reisbach and the hotel for an evening meal in company with Ulli and some of the others with whom we had travelled far and wide that day. Exhausted, but happy, I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow! :)

Our final day was to be a brief excursion to a German traditional dress outlet to have a look at Lederhosen and Dirndls. Only John Chapman and a couple of the girls tried anything on. John declined to show us! :)))) But Elisabeth and Daniela were game.

Daniela in her dirndl. The headwear is not traditional! LOL :>)

We left the shop and tottered into a brilliant Chinese restaurant, where we had a fantastic buffet as Ulli and Michael's guests.So generous!!! Thank you guys!

And with that done and our tummies stuffed full, we went on to Munich and the airport. The flight was on time and comfortable and we were soon back in my car and heading back to London. I think I can certainly say that we all had a fantastic time in the company of our hosts and the German/Austrian and Swiss 501st. Long may they continue to attract such wonderful and welcoming people!!!

Farewell Germany, until the next time.......

Claudia Con, The Renaissance Hotel, Heathrow, London.

Today was the first day of this event, ostensibly organised by Claudia Christian herself. I had anticipated that the day would be quite quiet, as the entry was set at a whopping £50 pre-booked and an additional £10 if paid on the door!

Claudia giving her speech of welcome.

Claudia had done all she possibly could to publicise the event, but really to no great avail. The opening ceremony was held in a theater in the hotel and Claudia gave an interesting and entertaining speech of welcome, explaining the ethos of the event - an anti-convention, where full access is granted to the guests and the attendees are encouraged to mix,greet and be photographed with anyone that wants. But we, the  guests, outnumbered the public by a sizable majority.

Peter Roy

I found out too late that I had forgotten to charge my camera, so, apart from one, the photos that  appear are all my exhausted battery could manage - sorry!!!

As it turned out, the attendance numbers never really increased, but we had a good time in each other's company. I met a really nice guy called Mark Shepherd (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0974122/), who appeared in the various spin-off incarnations of Star Trek and who played 'Morn'. He and his wife were over from Germany en route to the States and dropped in to see what was happening. A truly nice guy!

Mark Shepherd of Star Trek and his wife. Photo courtesy Pam Rose.

I found myself sandwiched between Derek Lyons and Pam Rose and we were kept amused and entertained by the few visitors, who were enjoying unlimited access in an otherwise empty room.
However, the organisation was patchy and with too many arranged panel events going on with too few attendees, it became obvious that no business was going to be conducted!  It was obvious many had cancelled thanks to the proximity in date to the recent civil unrest in London (miles away!). So, we became mischievous, as most actors are really children at heart, and endeavored to entertain ourselves with jokes. To be honest, I have seen more life at a seance, but we did our best.

Lindsay Muir and Toby Philpott mid afternoon!

Also in attendance were the Galactic Knights, of whom I am an honorary Senator. These guys are a great bunch and deserve to be accepted by other groups to co-troop with! But they too were thoroughly hamstrung by the hotel, which forbade any 'weapons' within the building!!! Being on the A4 outside Heathrow Airport, there was no footfall of passing potential customers for them to interact with, but they did their damnedest and I applaud them heartily for their good-natured efforts under the leadership of their very charming CO, Jo Beck.

As the day progressed, I could no longer stand the heat of the room we were in. I was uncomfortable and looked forward to the end of the day. Unfortunately, by the time Claudia came to her auction, which assembled everyone in one room for the first time all day since the opening, I was packed up and making my exit via the back door - I shall not be there for the second day.

I am sorry for Claudia - she seems a genuinely nice person, but the venue was too large and far out, the programmed events too ambitious and the concept under-promoted. I hope that Claudia will seek the advice and help of an established organiser in the future - if there is a next time....

Sci Fi South Collectors - July 2, 2011 at Eastleigh, Southampton.

Due to the fact that I have been working on a film, I was unable to travel down and stay the night before, so Pam Rose and myself drove down on the day in record time. I was up at 3.30 a.m., in order to shift the old carcass through the shower and get the first train to Victoria, where I had arranged with Pam to meet. My grateful thanks to Pam for her fantastic driving and cheerful company, as always!

On arrival. we bumped immediately into David Tarrant, the organiser of the event, who dropped everything to conduct us through two large halls to our tables and set his helpers to look after us with food and drinks. Much appreciated indeed David - thank you!

David Tarrant and pilot.

As the doors opened, a flood of people came through and the main hall was soon teeming with visitors! There was an excellent selection of traders and the Milton Keynes Garrison of the 501st and the Galactic Knights were also in attendance, with many other droid owners and costumed characters. Of course, the kids were in seventh heaven with so much to see and I felt slightly sorry for the parents and their wallets! LOL

Peter Roy and the swelling crowds. Colin Baker beyond Peter.

Pam was presented with an Honorary membership certificate by the Milton Keynes Garrison and Kay Power Mcgowan, on her first signing ever, was kept hard-pressed by collectors and fans alike! I knew you would enjoy it Kaye! :)

Pam receiving her certificate from the MKG and Ted Western signing beyond.

The only point detracting from the event was the heat in the hall, due mainly to such a press of flesh - I am sure that better air-con would have made it more comfortable for all attending. But, that in itself is testimony to the popularity of the show!

The solar-powered waving Queen I had first shown in Stockholm came again to display her support of the 501st, but unfortunately I couldn't find her original helmet, so a substitute had to be found - a tad large, but you have to admit that she's a trooper! LOL

I had great fun chatting with the kids and their parents, as well as the fans and other guests. One young man who made an impression was a lad called Willis Clarke! He was full of enthusiasm and his Mum was dead proud of him, as he had been featured singing on http://www.madametussauds.com/London/About/MerlinsMagicWand/Default.aspx, a charity for disadvantaged children. He and his brother found their way to every guest's table and got them to sign their toy lightsabres and, of course, walked away with many free photos signed! :) Great kids and a credit to their Mum!

David and his helpers were very solicitous and we were looked after handsomely. I managed to get a brief overview as I walked back from signing David's Millennium Falcon for him in the 2nd hall after lunch, where many of the static exhibits were to be found, including the Tardis, the Back to the Future DeLorean, a NY PD police car and the General Lee from Dukes of Hazard. There was also a reptile exhibit with some very pampered lizards! LOL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnK8GJOtGp4

 

Back into the main hall I turned on the camera again to catch the line-up of guests I passed on the way to my own table - and this but one side of the hall!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAjU9Y7dBP8

As the day progressed, many of the guests got up and took the chance to wander and see what was occurring. I had a visit from Dave Prowse in his wheelchair after surgery, who was looking very chirpy and happy to be back with the fans. It was such a pleasure to see him free fro pain at last! Jeremy Bulloch stopped by to talk to me about my forthcoming trip to Dallas and the Star Wars Fan Days Con organised by Ben Stevens and Official Pix and. There were interviews being conducted with guests for the organiser's website and when it came to Barrie Holland's turn, Richard Bonehill came over frequently as he was timing Barrie in his effusive talk, offering the loud and cheery advice that the camera was losing the light! Nothing phased Barrie, though! As I have said before - a consumate professional! :)

So, a hearty congratulations to David and his team for putting on a bigger and even better event than last year, with a great atmosphere and laughter! The fans will look forward to and flock to the next, without any doubt!!!

Science Fiction Bokhandeln, Stockholm, Sweden. 11 June 2011

I visited Stockholm for the first time ever this weekend, which was a great delight to me on several levels. Firstly, I had the opportunity to stay with dear friends of many years standing - Jan-Olof and Britt- Marie Boden; secondly, I had the chance to meet the Star Wars fan community in Stockholm, when signing autographs at the Science Fiction Bokhandel in gamla Stad on the Saturday; and thirdly, I enjoyed the company of the members of the Nordic Garrison of the 501st, who shared a very delicious Indian meal after the day at the book shop!

I had flown the day before from Heathrow Airport, London and arrived in scorching heat! This was totally unexpected, as London had been wet and chilly. As usual, I was taken through passport control and luggage retrieval quickly and was outside in no time at all to be met by Jan-Olof. Our trip through Stockholm towards the South was fast and uninterrupted.

The narrow,old street intersecting the street where the book shop is situated, to the left of the couple in the middle ground.

On the Saturday morning, my friends drove me into old Stockholm and up to the crossroads closest to the shop, from whence I walked in and introduced myself. Sanna, who had been emailing me with arrangements, was welcoming and bubbly and introduced me straightaway to the members of the Swedish members of the Nordic Garrison, who were going to troop the event. I must say, I am full of admiration for these guys and girls, as the temperature in the shop was at least another 5 degrees Celsius higher than outside, which was already in the late 20's and humid! We were very soon at ease with one another and dripping in equal degrees!

Amongst the first to say hello was a Facebook friend, Mieszko Kenic, a young man who has been particularly active in keeping everyone informed of my visit and who had gone to the trouble of having a t-shirt printed with my compliment card! Mieszko came with his sister,Miriam, and filmed our conversations and posted them to YouTube... Mieszko had been very busy. He arrived in a t-shirt he had had printed with my image and website and had printed out a picture, which is now on the Facebook web-page he set up as a fanpage in Sweden

Mieszko and me and the t-shirt! :)

The day was hot and quite busy and other friends turned up, notably Robin Arvidsson, who had previously sent me several very nice drawings worked from my photo selection. Robin is a quiet and thoughtful film fan and I was delighted to finally meet him in person!

Robin Arvidsson and me.

During the late afternoon, Sanna conducted a competition open to all for lightsabre air duelling!!! I had not seen this done in this manner before and it was great fun! There were a half-dozen or so entrants from 6 to 26 years of age! Of course, the children tugged at the heart strings, but of course, the cutest kid won! LOL!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=isMxsoLuTWM#at=78 this is the link to the lightsabre competition with Sanna compering! Enjoy!!! :)

Eventually, the day was closing and we did a brief Q & A for the packed crowd of onlookers in the shop.

I am so grateful to Sanna and the staff of the book shop for their care and consideration for our comfort during the day and for the dinner later that evening.

Two daft 'Vikings'!

The nutty and fun members of the Swedish division of the Nordic 501st Garrison in the Indian restaurant.

Star Wars Weekend, Taastrup Medborgerhus, Taastrup, Denmark, May 2011.

The final poster for this much-anticipated event.

At last, the much-anticipated event for which I had been waiting was upon us - the Dansk Star Wars Loge's May weekend event in Taastrup, outside Copenhagen!!!

More photos will be added as I gain permission from those pictured to post them...

As those of you who have read of my attendance last year may remember, I had an absolute ball there in 2010 in the company of Toby Philpott and Gerald Home. Hosted by Michael HR Nielsen, Per Valgreen and Henrik Berndt, we all agreed we had one of the best convention experiences of the year! I am delighted to report that this year's was better still!!!

I was in the company of Nick Gillard - Stunt Arranger on the Prequels, Pam Rose - the sultry seductress Leesub Sirln of the Cantina in ANH and Richard Bonehill - all-round good egg and who should sign photos as - Richard Bonehill is Everybody Else!, as he played several different characters both masked and unmasked in the original Trilogy. Unfortunately, we were missing the company of John Coppinger, who had to cancel at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. He will be attending a subsequent event in October!

Pam Rose, Nick Gillard, Alan Flyng & Richard Bonehill. Dansk Star Wars Loge Weekend, May 2011.

I think Nick, Pam and Richard were bowled over by the amazingly generous and friendly welcome offered to us and the food......fabulous!!! Our joint thanks to the indefatigable Pia and her team!!!

As last year, I had offered to participate in the opening parade through the main street of Taastrup on the first day of the show, but this year decided to come as a more appropriate 17th century Town Crier. With my breeches and waistcoat, jabot and tricorn, caped surcoat and bell, I do make a rather unmistakeably large and imposing figure, even though I say so myself! I was likened to The Black Pearl in full sail! Not a bad analogy in truth, as I was pretty unstoppable! :D

Darth Vader and 'Daft Ada' leading the parade out into the streets...

 

Attendance in general was slightly down this year, due no doubt to the depressive nature of our mutual economic conditions in most European countries - but only slightly. The show covered it's costs and raised the requisite funds to enable the flights for next time's guests to be flown in. There are not many club events these days that can claim that! So, my heartiest congratulations to Michael, Per, Henrik and the team, again!!!

The excellent Michael HR Nielsen, who hardly ever stands still long enough to have a picture taken!

Part of Per Valgreen's Stormtrooper collection of action figures and collectables, displayed in my honour.

Amongst the events planned were two display events hosted by Nick, to do with the use of weapons used in fighting in Star Wars. These went down very well, especially with the youngsters!!! An auction of signed items and donated goods raised another £500 or thereabouts and all items on the packed programme were well received.

Our Q & A at the end of the first day was well attended and could have run on and on, as we were having a great deal of fun and lively conversations at the guests' table, drawing more and more questions from the attending audience. Richard and I had not seen each other for over 25 years and Nick was a lad when I last saw him! Lots of very funny memories and anecdotes came hurtling into the arena from our addled brains! I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed it - I know we guests did! The Q & A had to be finally brought to a conclusion as the evening meal was ready and we had overrun!

Pam demonstrates her enduring love of picking up the odd stuntman! :-)))

The second day, although quieter than the first, still drew a good crowd. We were ably assisted throughout the event by troopers from the Rebel Legion, Shadow Legion and The Skywalker.dk Girls and other Costume and RP groups. Thier contribution to the event was huge and much appreciated by all! There was unfortunately only an unofficial presence from members of the 501st Nordic Garrison, but I am personally very, very grateful for their coming and proudly wearing shirts and badges of the Garrison!!! Thank you all!

Amongst the traders present was a selection of excellent stands selling toys, memorabilia, autographs from a splendid Swedish dealer, and assorted exhibits scattered throughout the building. Michael and gang never fail to draw anything but the best exhibitors and this year was no exception. Special thanks to Autografer.net and Sebastians Toys for their great contributions to the success of the show!

As I explained to a visiting journalist from one of Denmark's biggest daily newspapers, this show is not like the huge commercial events that take place on occasion in Copenhagen, Stockholm or London. This is an incredibly well planned and focused attempt annually to stage a show arranged by fans for fans with actors and guests who enjoy mixing with the attendees and getting stuck-in with the running of the show. A real 3 Musketeers approach - all for one and one for all! This is not an event for grabbing the fan's money, but an opportunity to share the fun, interest and community spirit of true fans with whoever wants to come through those doors. That is what guarantees success and repeat visits from the public! The journalist confessed he had seldom seen guests so relaxed and mixing so freely with the public. I agreed and explained it was due to the great atmosphere created by Michael and his team as well as the professionals and enthusiasts all enjoying mixing together. He seemed quite surprised overall with what he found and went on walkabout for much longer than one would normally expect. I think he relaxed as well and decided to get into the groove!

I am over the moon with this award from Michael, Per and Henrik! Thank you so much!

Our thanks too to the staff of SAS for punctual flights and service!!!

So, my friends - keep your eyes peeled for the next show - probably October time - and bring your friends! There is enough to interest even the most jaded fan!

TV FILM AND COLLECTORS FAIR

I picked up Derek Lyons from his home at the crack of dawn, in order to be in Portsmouth good and early. As usual, I programmed my idiosyncratic ancient Tom Tom with the postcode and off we went.

The weather was perfect - not a cloud in the sky and hardly a breeze in the air! As usual, Derek and I chatted without noticing where we were going as, directed by the Tom Tom, we headed out of London in a general south-bound direction. We hadn't met up for some time, so had a lot to chat about and soon found ourselves not far from the coast.

Those of you who have read this blog may remember our trip to visit a fan called Jamie DuPont for a private signing, when the same Tom Tom took us on a trip around the universe - anywhere but Jamie's. It obviously doesn't like us talking over it, because this time it took us to a point just short of Brighton, when the postcode was most definitely Portsmouth!!! I suppose we must be grateful we at least headed south! LOL

Undaunted and unphased, we started off again along the coast and thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected diversion and scenery! We arrived in Portsmouth early! Yes! Early!!! And soon we were setting up in the hall of the Mountbatten Centre - a large sports and community centre towards the centre of Portsmouth. The dealers had been there considerably longer and were almost all set up. Quite an impressive array of toys and collectibles from a wide range of tables!

I had dropped my camera the day before and it failed me with blurry pictures, as you can see from the above, so I have to thank others for any pictures which follow...

The show got underway around 10 am, after the other guests had also set up - Toby Philpott, John Coppinger, Rusty Goffe, Colin Baker, Erkan Mustafa and Lee McDonald. Unfortunately, John Chapman was unable to attend, nor Pam Rose.

The day progressed well - not hugely packed out but a steady, busy stream of visitors and collectors, who kept us well-employed chatting and signing. My compliments to the organisers of the event, who had pulled out the stops to have everything well arranged and seamlessly running. We were very well tended to and everyone was most welcoming!

Derek and I were surprised by Terry Welsh and members of the Dorset Troopers, as we were both awarded Honorary Memberships! A very great pleasure for us both, as we are close to many of the members and are eager to support them in all they do - a really nice and genuine group of friendly and devoted people who deserve more recognition!!!

With us visiting was out mutual good friend Wendy Lowder, pictured centre-front in the picture above.

Our trip home went uneventfully door-to-door - mostly because I didn't switch on the Tom Tom!!! :-)

Having reached Derek's, we next set about recording our contributions to a skit for Joe Mignano of Dark Empire Radio - an improbable encounter between the Executor and Star Trek's Enterprise!!! Needless to say, we were tired and in fits of giggles and bad behaviour whilst we tried to get ourselves through the script...I think the outtakes might be more entertaining, though X-rated for language!!!

And so home to an early night with the Eurovision Song Contest blaring out from surrounding TVs all over the place! What is it with people not being able to listen to their TVs any longer unless they are deafening? And this remark from someone who is partially deaf!!!

Anyway, my apologies for the lack of photos - I shall have to beg more from friends. Next stop...Copenhagen!

3 Darths Comics, The Harvey Centre, Harlow, Essex.

I attended an exceptionally well-organised signing on Saturday the 30th April in Harlow in the company of Pam Rose, Brian and Lindsay Muir, Dave Prowse, Warwick Davis and Gerald Home. 

The event is actually spread over three days with a variety of guests appearing - some all three days and others two or one (like myself):

-Alan Flyng (Saturday only)
-Brian Muir (Saturday & Sunday)
-Danny John-Jules (Cancelled due to Work Commitments)
-Gerald Home (Saturday, Sunday & Monday)
-John-Paul Bove (Sunday & Monday)
-Marc Silk (Sunday & Monday)
-Pam Rose (Saturday & Sunday)
-Rusty Goffe (Sunday & Monday)
-Spencer Wilding (Monday only)
-Warwick Davis (Saturday only)

The 3 Darths Comics Store being trooped by members of the UK Garison. The signing taking place below in the atrium of the Harvey Centre. Nick, Proprietor of 3 Darths, is pictured in the foreground.

The event was also attended and trooped by members of the UK Garison, who were quite an attraction to the kids present and their parents. The good-natured ribbing by the local youths won over many onlookers and we, the signers were fully engaged with the public all day.

Pam Rose signing in front of the posters produced for the event.

The classic 501st Stormtrooper pose with a member of the public. Good troop guys! Thankyou all.

I must thank Nick, Proprietor of 3 Darths for the invitation to attend and the members of the 501st for their great hospitality. I look forward to having another chance to attend on another occasion.