“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.. “ These words will forever have a special place in my heart.
For those of you who have never seen the Star Wars movies, (shame on you we may no longer be able to be friends!) these are the opening words to one of the most dramatic sagas of all time.
As a child my older brother and I would watch the Star Wars movies every Christmas as they were always on TV.
Back then there were only four channels to choose from so pretty slim pickings, luckily we loved it.
We’d settle down in our bean bags, yes I said bean bags, and be transported to another galaxy.
There are so many iconic scenes in the movies that we would recreate, with us in the pivotal roles.
I would of course be the feisty Princess Leia battling the dark side of the force.
My brother would be Han Solo or Luke Skywalker leaping around making swooshing noises for his lightsaber or blaster.
We had all the action figures and the Millennium Falcon, meaning we could have some amazing battles.
So having let you in on the secret of just how big of a nerd I am, you can imagine how excited I am that Darth Vader and Kylo Ren are coming to the library.
Two of the biggest villains in the galaxy are joining us for an afternoon of Star Wars fun.
We’ll be decorating Wookie cookies, building pool noodle lightsabers and of course having photos taken with the members of the 501st Legion.
May the Books Be With You is a free event for fans of all ages and is happening Saturday, Oct. 29 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Summerland Library. Just make sure you dress in your favourite Star Wars costume as we’ll have prizes for the best dressed family.
Many things can trigger a memory, a smell or an image. For me the unmistakeable sound of the opening bars of the Star Wars soundtrack will forever transport me back in time.
At this time of year when we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving and are looking ahead to the Christmas season I enjoy these reminders of family.
Living on the other side of the world from everyone makes these memories even more special to me as some days it feels like it happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Adele Meadow is an Assistant Community Librarian at the Summerland branch and self-confessed Star Wars nerd.