Stormtroopers invade the Winter Wonderland in Hanford
Dec. 3—Residents of Hanford may be alarmed at a recent influx of Stormtroopers around town, but there are no indicators of a takeover of Kings County by the Galactic Empire as of yet.
Members of the 501st Legion's Central California Garrison have been busy as of late. They returned for the annual Hanford Chamber Christmas Parade with one of the most popular floats at the event and then made an appearance in Corcoran. This weekend, they're taking to the Civic Auditorium Park, and while they may be lightyears away from the Battle of Hoth — there will be ice.
The 501st will be making a special appearance the Winter Wonderland skating rink for "May-December 4th be with you," in which Stormtroopers and (possibly) Darth Vader himself will be there. The group will patrol around (though not in) the rink to take photos and hang out with the ice skaters and other park patrons. According to DJ'S Collectible Shoppe owner Jason Weihert, who is working with the Hanford Parks and Community Services Department to put the event on, it's not just something for the kids, but an evening for everyone, since Star Wars spans across planets and generations alike.
"Star Wars hits all ages, from 'The Mandalorian' resparking it all the way to — I'm 46, so I'm with the original 1977 version — so definitely it's going to get all age groups and everybody can take pictures with their own cameras," Weihert said. "We don't charge whatsoever. It's never that type of thing. Everything is free when it comes to taking pictures with the 501st guys."
The 501st Legion are a national charity organization of "Star Wars" fans who pride themselves on making armor that's as movie-accurate as possible, and appearing at fundraisers and charity events to pose with guests for photos.
The event will start at the rink at 6 p.m.
