Rachel Lotz is wielding a lightsaber at a “Galactic Gala” in downtown Dayton. She’s dressed up like Rey, the heroine from Star Wars, at this fundraiser for local kids camps that are run through the East End Community Center.
Lotz says she grew up going to midnight openings of Star Wars movies. So, when she wanted to give back to the community, she joined the “Gem City Squad,” a group that dresses up like the heroes and villains from a galaxy far, far away.
“I had seen these guys around at a few different events and I was like, ‘I think I could kind of do that,’” she said. “Then, finally, one day, I was like, I’m going to do that!”
Lotz purchased her first costume, but then she started making costumes for herself, for her husband, and for her kids. Now, she’s made about a dozen.
“I've got every variation of Rey,” she said. “There's five of those. I have a Jedi, a pilot, and there's a Jawa. I have two versions of Admiral Holdo… Usually, I hyper-fixate for a week, and I pound one out every few months or so.”
She says some of the charities she helps raise money for are really meaningful to her, like the Ronald McDonald House.
“My oldest son was very sick. He was in the NICU for over six weeks. We lived at the Ronald McDonald House that entire time, so me and my husband love it. It's an amazing program. We try to support them as much as possible,” Lotz said.
That son, Hudson, is now eight, and he likes to dress up in Star Wars costumes too.
He said one of his favorite costumes is “Kylo Ren, because Kylo Ren was my favorite character in Star Wars. I just really liked him.”
Hudson may be a little short to play the imposing villain Kylo Ren at events, but on Sunday afternoon, at a community costume party, he’s dressed up as a Jawa, one of the child-sized creatures from Star Wars. He’s wearing a brown robe and hood, and you can’t see his face at all, just two orange eyes glowing out from inside the dark hood.
Hudson’s little brother, Dublin, sometimes dresses as a Jawa, too, and he gets positive feedback when he does.
“I’ve heard people say ‘he’s a baby Jawa! That’s so cute!,’” Dublin said.
Taylor Lange is the executive officer for the Gem City Squad. They’re part of a much larger organization called the 501st Legion.
“The 501st is about 25 years old now,” Lange said. “It's a worldwide organization. Every state and almost every country has at least one of what we call garrisons. And our main goal is to bring the joy of Star Wars costuming to everybody, and to also help with charity work and raise money for charity.”
And anyone can join, if they have the costume skills and the right attitude. Lange says, people can go to 501st.com and look through their Costume Reference Library, which explains exactly how each character should look.
“So, basically you make or buy a costume to those standards. You send in your pictures to us and we say, ‘Yeah, that's awesome! You're in the group!’ And then you get to go around and help out with charity,” Lange said.
Now, there are other Star Wars groups that do the same thing. One of those is the Mandalorian Mercs, named after some of the armored, tough guy, bounty hunters from the movies.
Lucas Tore is a Mando Merc. He was originally a World War II re-enactor, but his love of the character Boba Fett drew him to Star Wars reenactment. He’s dressed in full armor and a helmet for a fundraiser.
“This is my second Mandalorian kit,” he said. “This one is mostly 3D printed. This one took me about maybe four or five months. My first one I started during COVID. I had all that downtime, and it took me a year and six months.”
Tore says he’s had interactions with kids that have changed how he designs his armor, like the time a little girl ran up to him with a drawing.
“It had a picture of her and the best she could draw Mando. And she said, ‘You're my favorite.’ She gave me a big hug. Then she ran off to her parents. At the time, I couldn't really lean down to hug her,” he says. “Because of the way the armor was set up, it was hard for me to lean down or squat down, but now I have it set up so I can lean down, just in case. But that's a memory that's going to stick with me for the rest of my life. I will always remember that.”
If you want to make some Star Wars memories, the 501st Legion will be coming to the United States Air Force Museum on October 29th. The museum is hosting a Halloween party called Troops & Treats. It’s a costume party for kids… of all ages.
Support for Culture Couch comes from WYSO Leaders Frank Scenna and Heather Bailey, who are proud to support storytelling that sparks curiosity, highlights creativity and builds community and Ohio Arts Council.
Culture Couch is created at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.