Here's how you can celebrate 47 years of Star Wars in the Columbia area
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Roughly 47 years ago the world was introduced to a story from "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away."
A phrase from Star Wars, "May the Force be with you," led to May 4 becoming the unofficial Star Wars Day, as in "May the Fourth be with you." There are a few events in the Columbia area Saturday marking the special day for Star Wars and science fiction fans in general. Star Wars fans also claim May 5 as another unofficial holiday, "The Revenge of the Fifth (Sith)."
'The Force Awakens' at Lakeside Ashland
Tickets still were available as of Tuesday for a screening of "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" at Lakeside Ashland, 5900 East Log Providence Road.
Gates to Lakeside Ashland open 6:30 p.m. and the movie starts at 7:30 p.m. The $10 ticket price includes unlimited popcorn and soda. No outside food or drink is allowed.
"The Force Awakens" tells the story of Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, a defecting stormtrooper from the First Order, the fascist organization that rose from the fall of the galactic empire, teaming up with Han Solo and Chewbacca "in a desperate search for the one hope of restoring peace to the galaxy," including the missing Luke Skywalker, according to the official movie synopsis on Disney+.
Cornhole tournament and fundraiser
Crossfit Fringe is hosting the Star Wars Day-inspired "May the fourth be with our team" fitness class and cornhole tournament fundraiser in support of its crossfit challenges semifinal team.
Workout classes are available 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Saturday at 901 Old 63 N. in Columbia for a donation, along with a cornhole tournament at 10 a.m. Teams of two can register online for $25 for the tournament. Any additional donations can be made via PayPal (tyler@crossfitfringe.com), Venmo (@OutlierNutrition) or cash or check directly to CrossFit Fringe. All donations will go to the Crossfit Fringe competition team.
"It's the perfect way to test your skills, have some laughs, and raise some serious funds for our fab four," Crossfit Fringe said on the Facebook event page.
More: May the Fourth be with you in these 'Star Wars'-themed rock, hip-hop and pop songs
Morels and Microbrews in Fulton
The annual Morels and Microbrews event in downtown Fulton is taking on a "Star Wars" May the Fourth Beer With You theme this year.
While the event is open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, advance tickets are needed for beer tasting. Beer tasting tickets which include a commemorative glass still were available as of Tuesday. Other available items to preorder were a Morels and Microbrews hat or raffle tickets for a wooden carving of a morel mushroom.
At least three dozen distilleries and breweries will have samples on hand. Both fresh and fried morels, food trucks, live music and more will be available.
Cool Fest on Fay Street
While Cool Fest is not specifically themed to Star Wars Day, there are many opportunities to interact with science fiction, fantasy and other pop culture diversions at the event in The Arcade District in the area of 602 Fay Street.
Guests to Cool Fest can browse the vendor fair, enjoy DungeonCon, a comics and gaming convention, and much more at this free and open to the public event.
Various food trucks also will be available to feed the masses.
More: Columbia's Arcade District is hosting Cool Fest this Saturday. Here's what to expect
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's how to celebrate Star Wars Day in the Columbia area
