501st New England Garrison

The NEG Splashes Down at Liquid Water Planet!

TK-3220 — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:25:30 +0000

On Saturday, the New England Garrison was out in force across New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including a troop at Liquid Water Planet in Candia, New Hampshire. Liquid Water Planet, a small, science fiction-themed amusement park, was happy to have members of the Garrison join in on the fun while supporting The Dream Factory, a non-profit wish-granting organization that works across the country, supporting children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

The NEG arrived at 11 am, suited up and patrolled the park, greeting children and parents alike, with a wide range of troopers out and about, with a large scout continent, Clone Troopers and Storm Troopers to keep the Jedi and dezidens who showed up in line. Troopers guarded the front of the park, and stood by the side of the roadway at the entrance to keep an eye on traffic. A visit from everybody’s favorite astromech droid, R2-D2 capped off the day as troopers began to depart.

Photos from the event can be found here: http://www.501neg.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=1257

Celebration V

TK-3220 — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:51:37 +0000

On August 13th, Orlando Florida became O’ Lando, Florida as thousands of Star Wars fans from across the world arrived to take part in the fifth Star Wars Celebration. Members of the New England Garrison joined hundreds of members of the 501st Legion in one of the largest gatherings of Star Wars fans in recent years. This convention marked a time not only for 501st members to meet one another from across the legion’s territory, but for the New England Garrison to demonstrate their prop-making skills!

NEG Members participated in a major panel on Clone Wars costuming, going through the various styles of armor and the techniques in which to build armor and props for the Clone Troopers and Ashoka. The full video of the panel can be found here: http://www.stormtrooperguy.com/workshop/Animated Panel. One of the highlights of the panel, according to members, was Clone Wars supervising producer and director David Filoni showing up at the end to help raffle off an Animated Rex helmet.

Other highlights of the convention was the opportunity to meet with numerous Star Wars celebrities, show off new costumes and the 501st Legion Bash. Everybody who attended noted the organization of the convention, and the events that occurred made this one of the best experiences for even experience convention attendees. It can safely be assumed that the next Celebration will be well attended by the New England Garrison!

You can find photos from the convention here: http://www.501neg.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=1258

National Night Out Against Crime!

TK-3220 — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:09:04 +0000

A member of the New England Garrison helped support The Partnership for Safer Communities on the 3rd of August, working with the Kingston, MA Police and Fire departments for their National Night Out Against Crime celebration. The event started around 5 in the evening, and our Biker Scout took pictures with children (and had an encounter with a horse), before departing.

Star Wars Day with the Lowell Spinners

BH-1171 — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:09:55 +0000

On Saturday, July 31st, the New England Garrison and Alderaan base teamed up with the Lowell Spinners, the Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for Star Wars Day at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA. Special Star Wars themed jerseys were once again worn by the players on the field to be auctioned off after the game to benefit the Joann Weber Charitable Fund.

The weather was beautiful for a ball game (and for trooping) and the park was once again sold out. The New England Garrison was led by Darth Vader as he teamed up with Chewbacca to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to Red Sox pitching prospects Keith Couch and Tyler Lockwood.

In addition to signing autographs and posing for pictures, members of the NEG and Alderaan Base participated in events throughout the day such as judging a grinder eating competition, running the bases with the Canaligator, dancing to the Chicken Dance and tossing t-shirts to eager fans from the top of the Mystery Machine. Thank you to Jon Boswell from the Lowell Spinners for all the work he put in to making this day possible. Thanks as well to all the members and fans who made the event a great success!

Visit our photo gallery to see pictures from this event.

Star Wars in Concert returned to the New England Garrison!

TK-3220 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:44:36 +0000

On the evening of July 21st, Darth Vader and a small contingent of troops once again descended on the Verizon Arena in Manchester, NH to aid in the Star Wars in Concert performance. Star Wars in Concert is a unique multi-media event featuring music from all six of John Williams’ epic Star Wars scores, featuring Anthony Daniels as a narrator for the performance. The New England Garrison provided photo opportunities and entertainment for the eager crowd of fans, young and old, prior to the show.

Blood Drive at the Providence Children’s Museum

TK-3220 — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:26:51 +0000

On Friday, July 16th members of the 501st New England Garrison took part in a blood drive at the Providence Children’s Museum of Providence, RI. The blood drive was organized by the Rhode Island Blood Center, who brought their donor bus to collect blood from donors visiting the museum with their family. In addition to the Imperial presence at this event, a squad of Bounty Hunters joined the Empire as they posed for pictures and played games with the kids.

Trooping for Children

TK-3220 — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:28:48 +0000

On Monday, June 21st, members of the 501st New England Garrison and Alderaan Base of the Rebel Legion trooped two events to support sick children.

The first troop was a small but special birthday appearance at the Why Me? House in Worcester, MA. Members attended the party of Sean, a five year old being treated for leukemia. With a stormtrooper, ISO member, X-Wing pilot, Chewbacca and an Ewok in attendance, Sean was overwhelmed at first, but warmed up to the troops when presented with a one-of-a-kind Bi-Legional T-shirt, making him an honorary member of both the N.E.G. and Alderaan Base.

The WHYME organization is dedicated to helping New England families cope with childhood cancer, and was founded in 1985. The houses provide no-cost housing for children with cancer and their families and caretakers.

The other troop of the day saw a visit to Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Brighton, MA. While the Imperials showed up with a TIE Pilot, Biker Scout and Imperial Gunner the Rebels arrived with Princess Leia, a Jedi Knight and the mighty Chewbacca. All of the troopers, both Imperials and Rebels alike, made the rounds visiting sick children in their rooms as well as meeting with small groups of children in a conference room. The kids were all very excited to see us there to visit and it was very rewarding to bring a smile to their faces.

The hospital, which has been in operation since 1949, “has pioneered clinical, therapeutic and educational programs for children with a variety of disabilities”, and is one of the nations largest such facilities.

Service to the community remains one of the New England Garrison’s largest priorities, and the members of the group are proud to to able to help ease the discomfort and help provide a distraction from the very serious issues that some children face.

Trooping for the Trooper

TK-3220 — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:47:24 +0000

On Saturday, June 19th Paige Josti (TX-8606), Bob Josti (TK-1839) and Mike Brunco (IC-7796) of the New England Garrison held a blood drive that they organized at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, MA. The blood drive was in honor of Bob’s brother Mike, who required 40 units of blood during an emergency operation to save his life.

In addition to the NEG, there were three other groups in attendance to help us support this event: Alderaan Base, the Mandalorian Mercs and the New England Ghostbusters, who came out to help us support the cause.

All together, the event collected 86 units of blood with 20 whole blood donations! This was a great event all around and it was really something special to be a part of this.

Make-A-Wish Send-Off Party for Ayden

BH-1171 — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:36:42 +0000

On June 2nd, 2010, members of the 501st New England Garrison and Alderaan Base of the Rebel Legion participated in a Make-A-Wish send-off for Ayden Beisaw, a seven year old from Wilton, ME who received a Make a Wish party like no other. Ayden’s wish included a trip to Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World.

Ayden was not expecting the Stormtroopers and Biker Scouts, led by a TIE pilot to burst into the room, searching for the Rebel scum that had infiltrated the party. After cornering Han Solo, the troops were “convinced” by the presence of Chewbacca to delay capturing the Rebels, and form a truce during Ayden’s special day. This was a case where it was best to let the wookiee win! After presenting Ayden with his Honorary Member certificate and bi-legional jersey the Rebels escaped and the Imperials took off in hot pursuit.

Thanks to Make-A-Wish, the New England Garrison, and Alderaan Base for making Ayden’s day such a fantastic event!

We’d like to thank Portland Maine’s CBS affiliate, WGME 13 for their great story and video on the day’s event:

http://www.wgme.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wgme_vid_3827.shtml

Trooping for the Trooper

BH-1171 — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:36:43 +0000

Please come and join the 501st Legion, New England Garrison as we host our “Trooping for the Trooper”blood drive, in honor of blood recipient Mike Josti. Stop by to donate blood and you can get your picture taken with a member of the local Star Wars costuming group, the New England Garrison! For more information about this event, call the donation center at 1-800-RED-CROSS or go online and visit www.redcrossblood.org.

NEG member Bob Josti (TK 1839) has a brother (Mike Josti) who, while playing outside with his family, suddenly fell extremely ill and was rushed to the hospital. As doctors worked to find out what was going on they noticed that Mike was loosing blood, a lot of it, somewhere inside of his body. The doctors believe that he suffered a spleenic aneurysm and over the course of the emergency surgery that was required to save his life Mike had to be given 40 units of blood. Mike Josti is a married father of two and serves his community as both a Massachusetts State Trooper (the source of the “Trooper” in the theme) as well as a volunteer Fire Fighter in his town. Bob, along with his wife Paige (TX 8606) and the support of fellow NEG members, have organized a blood drive/community event to be held on June 19th, 2010 in Shrewsbury, MA. Please come out in support of this very worthy cause!

Star Wars Day at the Higgins Armory Museum!

TK-3220 — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:39:16 +0000

On, May 22nd, 2010, members of the New England Garrison descended upon the Higgins Armory Museum for their second Star Wars Day. Last year, the Garrison trooped a similar event, with enthusiastic results.

Founded in 1961 when collector John Higgin’s collection went public, the museum now houses thousands of historical pieces, from armor to weapons, stained glass and paintings from all over the world, including armor from the Middle East, Feudal Japan, Renaissance Europe, as well as Ancient Greece and Rome. The museum aims to educate the public on the role and history behind the use of armor and weapons from around the world.

The 501st, with their history of armor and costuming represented a perfect fit for the two organizations. During the troop over the weekend, they were joined by Alderaan Base, the sister Rebel Legion group, and presented panels on armor creation and dressing a trooper, as well as lightsaber demonstrations, to over 760 attendees. In-between presentations, members of the Garrison, mingled with museum patrons, posting for pictures and greeting eager Star Wars fans, inside and out. The garrison as a whole had a fantastic time, as did the hundreds of people who stopped by!

The Providence Community Library, with Ryder Windham!

TK-3220 — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:26:28 +0000

On May 15th, The New England Garrison travelled to the Providence Community Library in Providence, Rhode Island, to support Star Wars author Ryder Windham as he did an appearance to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Ryder Windham is an author with over fifty Star Wars books to his name, and was one of the editors for the Star Wars line at Dark Horse comics, and his recent book, The Complete Vader, was released in October of last year.

The troop itself was by all accounts a fun one, with the library, the people who attended and Ryder himself appreciative of our appearance throughout the event. During our time there, Ryder held a presentation on the fifth Star Wars movie, the Empire Strikes Back, which sees its 30th Anniversary this year. Ryder noted that the film had been one to watch with caution, with a new crew associated with it, but it ultimately resulted in the best film of the franchise. The Garrison was present throughout the presentation, and afterwards, went out amongst the patrons to pose for photographs.

The Garrison would like to thank Ryder for his continued support of the Garrison, and hopes to see him soon!

Trooping for Charity

TK-3220 — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:59:24 +0000

Red Cross Blood Drive

On Saturday, May 8th, at 10 am, five members of the New England Garrison travelled to Dedham, MA to the regional headquarters for the American Red Cross for a blood drive. This small troop required only a couple of troopers, and the event was staffed by2 scouts, a TIE pilot, a Storm Trooper and a Jedi representing the local Rebel Legion chapter, Alderaan Base.

Here, they interacted with donors giving blood for the critical shortage in the country, providing entertainment and encouragement as they walked between the beds, while also entering the building’s telemarketing center and providing encouragement for the volunteers manning the phone banks. The weather was rainy, one of the volunteers noted, and when that happens, there tends to make for a busier blood drive. Throughout, the members of the garrison posed for pictures and answered questions as people came and left.

LazerGate

Also on Saturday, the New England Garrison returned to LazerGate in Fall River, MA for the third time, joining forces with the Rebel Legion and the Mandalorian Mercs to raise money for the Jimmy Fund.

Like prior events with LazerGate, the NEG gave this troop a theme, a rescue mission, utilizing characters from the Original Trilogy.

Troopers included Darth Vader, Storm Troopers, Pilots and Scouts, and were joined by Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia and Mon Mothma, as well as a trio of intrepid (and potentially, aging) Clone Troopers from Alderaan Base. A group of Mandalorian bounty hunters including Boba Fett added another dimension to the story.

Players were instructed to rescue any given main character, coming up against the hardened forces of New England’s 501st chapter.

The games ran for three hours, with 8 rounds in all, each with a large number of excited patrons, who eagerly came in, looking to reinact scenes from the Star Wars films by shooting at the bad guys, all while contributing to a charitable cause. The troop was a long, but ultimately, very rewarding one that saw numerous patrons come up against the New England garrison, bringing smiles and entertainment for all and raising $966.66 for The Jimmy Fund!

DK Publishing Donates to Charity in Legion’s Name!

TK-3220 — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:16:47 +0000

DK Books announced yesterday that the company would be donating $50,000 in childrens books to The Today Show Charitable Foundation, Inc, in the name of the 501st Legion. 7,000 full color reference books will be sent to Boys and Girls Clubs of America around the country. In 2009, the 501st Legion trooped hundreds events across the country, and it was the major efforts of members that prompted this donation. According to Judi Powers, the Director of Marketing and Publicity for DK Books: “We love working with the 501st Legion volunteers, they are a dedicated, caring group of people. Last year we partnered with them on over 60 events and this year we’re planning even more. They make people smile wherever they go—from bookstores to conventions to children’s hospitals.”

Last October, the NEG trooped at six seperate DK troops, in Hingham MA, Newington MA, Providence RI, Sandwhich MA, Portland ME and Natick MA, with large crowds of people coming out for the launch of the Star Wars Lego Visual Dictionary.

“This donation from DK is a prime example of how many lives we can touch with our unique brand of volunteerism,” says Dean Plantamura, 501st Legion Public Relations Officer. “The men and women of the Legion donate their time and often commute great distances to bring a Star Wars presence to an event and smiles to children’s faces. In 2009 alone, we estimate that the efforts of the 501st Legion helped raise more than $300,000 to benefit charities all around the globe”

According to DK’s Associate Director of Publicity, Rachel Kempster: “We wanted to thank the 501st Legion in a big way, we know that children’s charities are near and dear to hearts of all 501st volunteers.”

Charity is indeed at the heart of the New England Garrison, who frequently troops at hospitals, parades and other major events, often raising money or accepting donations in the name of the Garrison.

Free Comic Book Day!

TK-3220 — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:26:33 +0000

On Saturday, May 1st, the New England Garrison trooped in four states at the same time, invited by comic book shops in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts to help promote the yearly event.

Every year, on the first Saturday in May, Comic Book stores across the nation open their doors and give away selected comics in an effort to promote reading and comic book literacy. Now in its eighth year, comic book stores release special editions, and the day is one of the busiest for the 501st Legion.

This year, the NEG trooped at The Comic Shop in Watertown MA, Hub Comics in Somerville MA, Earth Prime Comics in Burlington VT, Jetpack Comics in Rochester NH, Rubber Chicken comics in Bellingham MA and Casablanca Comics in Portland ME.

Each event reported a good turnout and quite a lot of fun. The Watertown troopers stood outside and waved at passing cars, Somerville troopers hung around the store and directed pedestrians inside, two troopers in Burlington walked up and down the pedestrian street posing for pictures, troopers in Rochester were mobbed with guests and the solo trooper in Bellingham met up with the New England Ghostbusters.

In all instances, the 501st raised money for various charities, posed for pictures and brought smiles to guests to go along with their free comic books.

Photos:
Somerville MA
Watertown MA
Bellingham MA
Burlington VT