WindyCon 2006

Posted on November 12, 2006 by Carrie

WindyCon 33 took place at the Wyndham O’Hare Hotel from November 10-12.

: Hazmatt’s apartment gets rocked.

: It’s a messy job, but someone has to do it.

: The boys relax while the girls do the work.

: Odds of deadly fumes 3720 to 1.

: The plan starts to come together.

: We’re all glad Dex is so tall.

: Your eyes see a normal keg. The camera sees one bathed in the blood of the damned.

: Duck!

: Atmosphere. Or lack thereof.

: Erica loses her head.

: Everything back to normal

: No idea what’s going on here.

: You’re blocking the hallway!

: Who was the president when you were born?

: Well-behaved K-9

: Good costume. Great dog.

: There be rocks, mi’lord!

: Ah, the beer starts to kick in.

: They took his replica rifle. On Veteran’s Day. TANJ.

: He had a very satisfied boyfri..er, girlfriend.

: Half-way to Cyberman

Celebration III

Posted on April 24, 2005 by Carrie

: All packed and ready to go!

: Many of us call Embassy Suites home

: Cold, we Indy

: Lines in the morning…

: …lines in the evening…

: …lines at suppertime.

: When you’re at ‘Celebration’…

: …you can stand in line…

: …anytime!

: Did we mention there were lines?

: YAL (Yet Another Line)

: Darth Rebo

: Trooper Elvis

: Dedicated to the Anakin costume

: The Matrix has George

: Clone Wars Kenobi

: A biker scout with a bike

: SW Geeks: The Next Generation

: Carrie likes dark chocolate

: Darth Tater

: Palpy’s in a good mood

: Hear no Dark Side, see no Dark Side, speak no Dark Side

: Carrie would rather kiss a wookie

: My vote for Best Costume

: Grievous walks the halls

: Japanese protocol droid

: On second thought, Carrie would rather kiss an ewok.

: If only we had a Carbon Freezing Chamber to complete the scene…

: Cheryl looks very serene in her Jedi garb

: Peace Trooper

: I don’t see current registration anywhere

: Who will win THIS time?

: A common sight on the streets of Indy

: Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me?

: Oh, it’s a gun

: Trooper Jack Sparrow knows a good thing when he sees it

: Rancor Keep sad

: Rancor Keeper not sad anymore

: Typical CF Dinner

: Mark be representin’, you

: Dex show us the lights are on

: Cheryl thinks CF is OK!

: They make a cute couple, no?

: Did you know that’s “The Bird” in England? Oh, you do.

: [Insert caption here]

: Sithy in da hiz-ouse

: Er, wrong movie, Lionel

: Phyllis put it all together

: Dave shows his drinking prowess

: A little advertising never hurt

: Yeah for Chicago Force

: The Denver group brought their own X-Wing

: Nice AT-AT

: Another excellent model

: Lego Chewie

: Vader Viper

: I want that ship

: No, I want THIS one

: Even the carts get a make-over for the convention

: There were many R2’s in attendance

: Aren’t you a little short for an astromech?

: Droidyard 500

: Look, sir! Droids!

: Everyone loves R2

: Everyone hates Jar-Jar

: Brother Suess watches over Brodie Taylor for a day

: Hot Jedi actress

: Kit Fisto IRL

: Kenny Baker, gettin’ it done!

: Fan dioramas

: Fan dioramas

: Fan Dioramas

Brought to you by Duct Tape and the letters F and U

Posted on January 29, 2004 by Hazmatt

Capricon 2004 has come and gone, and all that is left is the memories. Well, that, and hang-overs, empty bank accounts and probably a number of lawsuits.

Sci-fi/fantasy conventions are interesting things. Like salmon swimming upstream, geeks travel to conventions to be with our geekly brothers and sisters, breed, and die (or in some cases, wish we had). Capricon 24 was no exception. There was the vendor room, art show, Critter Crunch, Photo Scavenger Hunt, and this year, Klingon Karoake, which really had to be experienced to be believed.

One huge change, for us at least, is that this year Chicago Force was in charge of decorating and running the Con Suite. For those of you who are mundanes, the Con Suite is a dining-room/lounge where people can go to eat, read, relax and in at least 3 cases last week, sleep. Now, normally the Con Suite is a fairly generic set-up, with some food and tables to sit at. But Chicago Force doesn’t do generic, do we?

Of course not. Silly question.

We had been invitied to decorate the Con Suite because of the work we did on our Jabba the Hutt party, so it’s not like we could throw some pop and cheese & crackers on a table and call it good. After much discussion, we decided that we should do Bespin’s Cloud City from The Empire Strikes Back. The pristine walls and elegant decorations lend itself well to the function of the Con Suite.

Words can literally not describe the end result, but before we jump into the pictures, it would be remiss not to recognize the hundreds of hours that people put into the making of this venture. This was a labor of love no matter what angle you look at it from. First and foremost thanks go to the core design team of Shauna, Heather, Carrie, Dinel, Dave and Caroline who spent more time packing things up and down Shauna’s stairs than many people spent in total (Shauna, you really need to move to the ground floor. Really). Erica, Matt, Thom, Phil and myself also spent a considerable amount of time cutting, sanding, painting, and just doing gerneral constructive-type things. In fact, pretty much every regular CF member pitched in to make this event a success, from storage, shopping, construction to setup and tear-down. We thank you all.

Special thanks also needs to go out to Chris and Steven Bornhoeft from Quad City Jedi Order for the air of realism they added with their Han and Luke Bespin outfits. Seeing Han getting lowered into the carbon-freezing chamber and Luke battling Vader was the apex of Star Wars fandom for a long time to come. They also came through in a pinch by building a movie-quality Ice Cream Maker Guy prop in 10 minutes out of spare parts. Freeze-frame the movie and compare our picture to it; I dare you to find a difference.

Lastly, Chicago Force would like to thank Capricon for giving us this opportunity to spread our creative wings, and to all the great fans, both costumed and plain-clothed, who stopped by to experience and compliment our efforts. Hearing your kind words makes it all worth while.

OK, I am going to go cry now. Enjoy the pictures.

: Starting the carbon-freeze chamber

: The floor pieces add up

: The intricate floor design

: Phil reigns triumphant over the plywood

: Man, it’s frickin’ cold!

: “That Obi-Wan starfighter must have been this long!”

: Measure twice, cut once

: One down, seven to go!

: Holy cow, it actually fits!

: Overflow storage (i.e., Hazmatt’s truck)

: Dinel puts the finshing touches on a floor piece

: This place is a mess!

: Whee! We’re frozen!

: Multi-tasking is the order for the day

: Please don’t let us use enamel paint ever again

: Caroline reacts to Hazmatt’s latest fart joke. Or was it a penis joke?

: Dave is all smiles.

: Shauna’s apartment takes the brunt of the work

: The tip of the iceberg

: The unsuspecting conference room

: Unloading all the stuff

: Our plan starts to come together

: How do you feed all those geeks for 4 days?

: Oh man, this is gonna be sweet!

: Outside view of Cloud City

: Cloud City by day

: Cloud City by day

: Guests start to enjoy the Con Suite

: Han & Han

: Nice haircut, Luke

: An impromptu Buffy panel

: The important (i.e., food) side of the Con Suite

: The Dining Room

: “You wouldn’t want me to leave a garrison here, would you?”

: We love us!

: Con Suite hosts the musical episode of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer

: More Buffy fans

: “After he takes the picture, run!”

: Chicago Force: The Next Generation

: Not everyone put the same amount of effort into their costume

: Come to the Con Suite for the pizza, stay for the company

: Devon makes a good Spike (go rent Cowboy Bebob now!)

: Lobot makes sure every thing is neat and tidy

: Elf Quest chick, but no tiny bicycle this year

: Even Klingons appreciate Cloud City

: Cow-siesta

: The Good, The Boba and The Ugly

: Putting the finishing touches on the Carbon Chamber

: Shauna spins some Sithly tunes

: C⁴Q
(Cloud City Cotton Candy Queen)

: A 1:1 beer/soda ratio

: Cloud City by night

: Got ‘er by the tail

: One Biker Scout short of a Full House

: Get ready, Marines!

: Matt gets a sweet lei

: Guess the Mystery Soda

: Lobot gets jiggy

: Thom makes a threatening gesture (yeah, right)

: Captain Jack Sparrow approves of Cloud City

: Only at a con…

: Han gets sweet on Cotton Candy

: Bring it on!

: This guy swore he was not in costume

: Two by two, hands of blue…

: The Amazing Lifter
(What is a lifter?)

: Aw, they’re so cute together

: Some things don’t need to be explained

: Some things don’t need to be seen

: For Destiny Froste’s butt-picture gallery

: Yeah! We’re drunk!

: Hey, didn’t we just…?

: Alcohol was not involved in the making of this picture

: The Con-faithful chill in Cloud City

: Two great tastes that taste great together

: Oh, they’ve encased him in carbonite

: Even troopers want to grow up to be a princess

: We’re only as cool as our guests

: I…he’s…I have no idea

: Early risers enjoy breakfast

: I’m told this is supposed to be a food vampire

: An Officer and a Marine

: Costume dry-run for the Ren Faire

: The QCJO guys pitch in to help Ice Cream Maker Guy

: Precision tape work

: Beautiful work

: Evacuate the city!

: We’re so cheesy

: Admiral Ackbar Surprise

: Did the Fett bring in this bounty?

: Steve, Shauna, and their creepy creation

: The Carbon Freezing Chamber in all it’s glory

: The Human Spider

: Lobot, ICMG (Ice Cream Maker Guy), Luke, Han

: The stage is set

: The cast is ready

: Lobot cleans the windows

: “We’d be honored if you’d join us.”

: Luke faces Vader

: The Money Shot

: ICMG gives Luke a ‘hand’.

: She can kill you in 57 different ways with that fan

: Sometimes a con is for the whole family

: Sometimes it’s not

: The Amazing Spider-man does Gopher duty

: Even the cloned Emperor stopped by

: The only Starfleet uniform I saw the entire weekend. Seriously.

: The Wild Things (watch out for gnomes!)

: Han makes his way into the center

: For Destiny Froste’s butt-picture gallery

: Preparing to be frozen

: “Um, hey, can we talk about this?”

: “I love you.”
“I know.”

: Vader gets steamed

: You’re not a Jedi, yet

: Most impressive

: “Han just needs to chill.”

: A swing and a miss

: ICMG lets Vader know he’s #1

: Is that Black 3 or Black 4?

: Another guy claiming not to be in costume

: God worked overtime putting her together

: Less-protective armor

: Same costume, lower neckline

: Horny guy

: They call him Wolfman

: The doctor with the beer

: Steven gives the ladies a treat

: Destiny gets a mental picture for her butt-gallery

: It’s possible that the pole is not entirely stable

: Caroline gets up close and personal with Steve’s groove-thang

: A final night in Cloud City

: Sunday morning cartoons

: Hawk-Bat on ice

: CF is first in line for everything, including the Closing Ceremony

: I %$^@#@% love us!

: Will the Real Slim Shady please stand up?

: Shut them down! Shut them all down!

: We’ll just go ahead and start breaking ‘er down

: “I am a sexy beast, baby!”

: Apocalypse Now

: Are we done yet?

: Ducky oversees the kitchen area

: Detritus

: We needed a bigger truck

: I hope this all fits in Dave’s garage

: We’re done!
OK, what are we doing next year?

Tragedy in Nal-Ottawa

Posted on February 9, 2003 by Hazmatt

Organized crime was struck a blow today when noted gangster and crime lord Jabba the Hutt passed away. Details are yet unknown, but so far officials have released the following information:

Jabba was captured and taken into custody Sunday morning by CF officials just outside the core world of Chicagoscant. He had erected a smaller yet accurate copy of his Tattooine throne room on the upscale planet of R-Lingtin Hites and was, according to authorities, holding some sort of celebratory gathering.

Due to the size and nature of the Hutt, the Force had to call in their Hazardous Materials truck (Hazmatt) to provide transportation. Jabba was loaded into the vehicle and secured with a gray covering and a rope-like substance.

The Hazmatt vehicle left Chicagoscant and headed south on Imperial highway Fifty-Five (I-55), maintaining a constant speed of 55 MPH (moles per hectare? Hey, if Han can travel a distance in less than 12 parsecs….and have you tried going 55 on the Stevenson? That is the posted limit, but people normally do 80). The trip progressed without incident until they reached Imperial highway Eighty.

Upon turning west onto I-80, the unit was faced with a 35 MPH headwind. This combined with their ground speed of 55 MPH to give a combined airspeed of 90 MPH. The gray covering holding Jabba the Hutt from escape was not designed for such velocities, and it was not long before one of the supporting grommets tore from its fabric and revealed the Huttese crime-lord to the elements.

A word of explanation here for our loyal readers: it is not common knowledge, but Jabba has a rather large indentation in the back of his cranium (watch the movie again, you’ll see it). Also, his skin is very thin and fragile at this point. When the protective tarpaulin was removed, the gale-force air current set up a vortex action between the vehicle and Jabba, causing dire effects. One dismembered arm was caught in the maelstrom and impacted the rear window where it, according to one witness, “stuck there, plaintive and sad, like it was trying to hold on, then it was gone.”

The rush of atmosphere continued its path of destruction. An exposed flap of skin caught in the current and peeled back, exposing the viscera of the great slug. The transport operators immediately brought the vehicle to a stop, but it was too late, the damage had been done. Unable to repair the damage, even to find any of the violently removed pieces, they continued on to the penal colony of Nal-Ottawa.

The remainder of the trip was not kind Jabba’s corpse. Now fully exposed to the wind, small bits and pieces felt free to detach themselves and spread over a large stretch of road. When the transport arrived at its destination, little remained of the once great piece of slime-ridden filth. One of the pilots, who had grown quite close to Jabba during their time together, was taken by his emotions and weeped openly at the sight, causing one passerby to exclaim, “Jeez, Matthew, you’re such a freak. Why did I even marry you in the first place?”

While Jabba is no longer with us, and his time on this plane of existence was brief, we have the comfort that he was laid to rest with the full honors of a crime-lord befitting his stature–in empty dumpster behind an anonymous car wash.

CapriCon 2003

Posted on February 8, 2003 by Hazmatt

On February 8, 2003, Chicago Force descended upon the annual CapriCon Convention in Arlington Heights, IL and hosted yet another of their themed room parties.

CF room parties have, over the years, generally progressed in an escalating manner. There has been the simple “Club Sith” to “Dagobah” to the horror that was styrofoam packing peanuts and “Hoth”. This year we decided to do “Jabba the Hutt’s Throne Room” from “Return of the Jedi”. To facilitate this, the convention had donated a 25’x45′ conference room on the main floor, a dance floor, and any furniture that we required.

Planning for this party started months prior and involved many, many people. Those that were there can attest to the success (or lack there of) of this endeavour. Not all of our plans made it to the end, but here is what we did have when the night arrived:

Green-skinned Gammorrean Guard at the door
Blast door and TT-8L droid
Life-sized Jabba the Hutt, tail lovingly wrapped around Salacious Crumb
Full-sized, three-dimensional Han Solo, frozen in Carbonite
Max Rebo and a live band
R2-D2 serving drinks in the corner
Red, blue, and green-skinned Twi’lek slave girls, dancing for Jabba’s (and everyone else’s) pleasure
Yarna, with all six breasts
Boba Fett
Luke Skywalker (where’d he get the beard, though?)

Sound like a party? It was.

Standing guard at the door, I got to witness a lot of people’s first reaction to seeing the room. Almost every one would stop at the door, not quite believing what they saw. 85 percent of them uttered some sort of expletive in awe. I don’t think I saw anyone visit just once. People would leave for a few minutes, only to return to where they knew the party was.

I could spend several more paragraphs listing all the compliments that people gave us, so it was a little disappointing when we didn’t pick up the award for Best Party. After the award was given, though, the con staff spent a few moments giving us a special mention, using phrases like “just awesome” and “I’m speechless”.

So many people contributed to the making of this event that any list is bound to leave someone out, but I am going to try:

Shauna, Heather, Thom, Caroline for making the best all-time party prop ever: a life-sized Jabba the Hutt. It’s a shame he didn’t make it home. Han in Carbonite got some compliments, so I’ll thank myself for that. Heather and Le Penguin for Max Rebo; seeing the blue DJ really added credibility to the whole thing. Caroline, Danielle, and Loree for being such delicious slave girls, and braving the oogling of every male in sight. Jason and Erica for the R2-D2 cooler, and lastly, but certainly not least of all, everyone that helped put this thing together Saturday afternoon: Matt, Dave, Heather, Shauna, Carrie, Ginna, Danielle, Caroline, Erica, Jeff, Bob, Phil, Thom, Ray, Patrick, Trisha, and anyone else whom I might have forgotten….this was certainly a team effort, and was only made possible by everyone pitching in and doing their part. Thank you all, it was a night to remember.

And here I am, babbling along, and all you really want to see is the pictures, right? Well, the wait is over…

: We begin with a clean apartment

: The tail begins to take shape

: More styrofoam peanuts (shudder)

: Good enough for now

: Making Jabba’s head

: Adding a few facial features

: The first layer of papier-maché, and some more features

: Being Jabba Malkovich

: Inside the Hutt

: First paint

: Adding the fat roll

: It’s all starting to come together

: Shauna has a VERY understanding husband

: He certainly looks like Jabba

: “Off with his head!”

: Adding the highlights

: The last coat of paint

: Jabba is beside himself

: The finished product

: It all starts with the foam

: Han’s torso, hacked out with a kitchen knife

: It’s starting to look a little creepy

: Look, I am holding hands with myself. Eeew!

: Help! Help! I’m trapped in the counter!

: It’s starting to look REALLY creepy

: Headless Han

: First you start with a rough draft

: OK, visibility is good

: Do you hear what I hear?

: Copy the pattern to the final cloth

: Time to get stuffed!

: The hotel donated this ice sculpture. Good thing it was 300 degrees below zero outside.

: Friday night and it’s all alright

: Dave Grelck and his lovely bit ‘o’ honey

: Get Matt’s book! Read it now!

: Matt wanted to make sure we could find his body if it fell out of an airplane.

: “He’s safe!” “He’s out!”

: I know they don’t look it, but they are still sober at this point.

: And Heather was sick as a dog the next morning…strange.

: Assembling the slug, the myth, the legend.

: The party hasn’t started, and already people are getting naked.

: Thankfully, tons of people showed up to help.

: We jus’ keepin’ it real, G.

: “Quick! Nobody look at the camera!”

: “You all are doing marvelous work. Fantastic.”

: Matt’s awesome, but eventually unused, radio-controlled Jawa.

: Trying to turn a mess into a party.

: “Look into my eyes…you are getting sleepy, very sleepy…”

: “Quick! Everyone look at Shauna’s butt!”

: Just think, this mess turns into a party.

: Han sits (er, stands) in the corner, patiently waiting his turn.

: Even in carbon-freeze, you still get a slobber-pile taking a nap.

: “Help! I’ve fallen down and I can’t reach my drink!”

: Final clean-up, and we’re ready to party.

: Shauna awaits Jabba’s command.

: “Insert Tab A into Slot B? I don’t even see a frickin’ Slot B!”

: Before and After picture

: Hazmatt shaves his dome to prepare for wearing a latex mask for 6 hours.

: Putting the finishing touches on a hot slave chick.

: He’s an “Airhead”.

: TT-8L

: “You shall not pass!”

: “No, I swear I didn’t know she was your wife!”

: If you think this is a cute couple, you are DEFINATELY a Star Wars geek.

: Twi’lek porn.

: I don’t know what costume this is supposed to be, but I like it!

: Ladies and gentlemen, Jabba the Hutt.

: Matt serenades a bounty hunter

: Tom Servo is here. NOW it’s a party.

: The Legend of Drunken Jedi Master

: Max Rebo in da hiz-ouse!

: Nice, uh, uniform there, lady.

: Big, dumb, green pigs can love a Trill, too.

: The two hottest slave girls I have ever seen.

: Hey, I didn’t say they were Jabba’s slaves!

: Bartending droid.

: The party gets movin’

: We love us!

: “You work with a tall, gold droid too? What are the odds?”

: Salacious is jus’ chillin’.

: Jabba is in his domain.

: Jabba looks like he’s having a good time, doesn’t he?

: Is that a brain-stem on your head, or are you just happy to see me?

: It’s good to be the Hutt.

: Jabba does it for the chicks

: Jabba’s favorite decoration

: “He was no good to me dead. Come to think of it, he wasn’t very nice to me alive, either.”

: Whoa, dude, it’s like looking in a mirror.

: Tom was honored to meet Phil.

: Keeping out the riff-raff.

: Call one of them a big, fat pig. I dare you.

: Dancing for Jabba.

: Oddly, their Jedi Mind Tricks didn’t work on Jabba.

: The Corkscrews take the stage.

: “Baby, I’m amazed at the way you love me all the time…”

: “I love you, Tom, I honestly love you…”

: Keeping up with the Jones.

: Boba thinks the Corkscrews are alright!

: “Six breasts, huh? Dude, that’s awesome!”

: The Corkscrews turn it up a notch.

: “Unconventional”, and proud of it.

: Hans & Han S.

: “Utinni!”

: It was the kind of party where Jabba looked normal.

: If you look closely, you can see Jabba actually pulling the chain closer to him…

: Jabba is a great photo-op.

: Hey Luke! Hands off the slave girl!

: Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!

: Security is on hand to make trouble “go away”.

: “Bo-shu-da!”

: “He must be allowed to speak!”

: I don’t remember him being in Jabba’ Palace.

: “You don’t talk much, do you?”

: “Han, Han……..why!?”

: This party attracts all sorts.

: Just call him Servo Master T.

: It looks like someone has taken an interest in our handiwork.

: “Your name’s Tom, huh? That’s cute.”

: Yarna chats up a trooper.

: “Watch what happens when I squeeze her head.”

: “Karate chop!”

: Squeezing the ‘Juice.

: Tom watches the board while Max is away.

: The Corkscrews hire some backup singers.

: Max gets jiggy wit’ it.

: This was right before the yuppie wanna-bees shut us down.

: What a motley crew.

: “Yeah, baby, take it all!”

: “Alas, poor Yargna. I knew him, Horgar.”

: I’m not as you think as drunk I am.

: It’s been a REALLY long night at this point.

: “Ray ate the Jawa!”

: It seems so lonely, now.

: “Hey! Where’d everyone go? Let’s party!”

: The harsh reality of daylight

: Jabba ain’t what he used to be.

: Ray is still unconscious. Poke him. I think he may be dead.

: We did it! Too bad Jabba won’t make it home.

: David and Matt hold a reading for their work.

: George Lucas: god or monster?

Chicago Force rocks WindyCon!

Posted on November 9, 2002 by Hazmatt

On November 9, 2002, Chicago Force put on a room party at the 2002 WindyCon Convention, held in the Schaumberg Hyatt in, well, Schaumberg. The theme for this party was “Death Star Trash Compactor“, and the room was decorated appropriately. Guests entering the room were met by the dianoga, several large pieces (to brace the walls with, perhaps?), and of course, trash.

To say that the party was a success would be an understatement. We kicked it off at about 9:30 PM, and went until the wee hours of the morning, some how managing to esacpe the wrath of the elderly couple staying next door. The room was beautifully decorated due to the diligent work put in by the Chicago Force crew. Matt, Dave, Hazmatt, Thom, Phil, Ray, Heather, Shauna and even Devon from Milwaukee were all on hand to transform a tasteful hotel room into a pit of refuse. It was surprisingly a lot of work.

All that hard work paid of, though, when people came to visit. Practically everyone that ventured into our domain complimented us on our decor and attitude and although there was no official competition for Best Party, our exit polls indicated we would have won by a landslide.

But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself…

: The process begins with an average hotel room.

: No one could get in touch with C-3PO to open the blast doors.

: Well, it LOOKS like a trash compactor…

: Bob the Dianoga

: The other wall. This miscellaneous drunk guy would come back to haunt us later.

: We know good trash when we see it.

: Ray, that is NOT a bong!

: More trash.

: The door, and a piece of a starship that wandered too close to the Death Star.

: No flash, so you can see what the room really looked like.

: Dave mixes the first batch of “Dianoga Dream”.

: Another shot of Bob the Dianoga. Isn’t he so cute?

: A toast to us!

: Bobafemme. She is so sexy!

: TK-895 and Bird-Man, Attorney-at-law.

: Matrix Trinity and Blade.

: “He did it, officer! I saw the whole thing!”

: New Chicago Force recruit Hans and his lovely wife.

: Bird-Man and Lara Croft.

: A lovely fairy.

: A Jedi pays us a visit.

: Some of the lovely ladies that came to visit.

: What a pair.

: Me taking a picture of Trish taking a picture of……..well, you get the idea.

: One of our vampire friends.

: I ruin everyone’s night vision with a flash.

: Lemme guess, purple is your natural color?

: An awesome Quidditch outfit. The broom is handmade.

: She took pity on Ray and let him stand next to her.

: A really great Klingon.

: A Klingon and Frank Zappa at the same party? What are the odds?

: Remember the old Klingon proverb: “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

: OK, so my flash is really bright, especially “after a few”.

: We beef up security.

: A lull in the festivities.

: Chicago Force in da hiz-ouse, &^#$&%@(*!

: Ray always seems to be standing near the hot women.

: Not everyone that stopped by was drunk.

: The party gets jumpin’

: What a difference a flash makes.

: Hey, nice jacket.

: A Jedi and his serving wench.

: Klingon sisters.

: Just as he does with Life, Matt takes the bowl by both hands and holds on tight.

: Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!

: Two beautiful people.

: “Stop? We just got this party started!”

: Bobafemme, sans gorilla head. Hey! She’s hot!

: A wandering theater troupe.

: All hail the Centauri Republic!

: Ray’s past catches up with him.

: Whaddya mean throw it away? You think is this trash?

: Tear-down is accomplished with only a few minor glitches.

: Time of death – 2:43 AM

Celebration 2

Posted on May 4, 2002 by Hazmatt

The first weekend in May, 2002 marked the return of the “Star Wars Celebration” convention. The first convention was held in 1999 in Denver, Colorado right before “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” was released. From those that attended, it seems that there was rain, mud, and about 5,000 attendees.

For the second Celebration, Lucasfilms stepped it up a notch. Held at the Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, there was no rain, no mud, and about 50,000 attendees. It was 3 days of Star Wars Goodness, almost too much to take in. There were conferences, demonstrations, guest speakers, and a huge vendor area, selling everything from the original Land Speeder toy (in mint condition, in the box) to the latest Interactive R2-D2, that responds to over 40 voice commands.

There was a lot to do and see in 3 days, and it seemed like everyone wanted to do and see the same things. Long lines were normal, and you had to wait to get where ever you wanted to get, even out: the halls were so crowded, it made navigation a risky proposition at best.

One room of the convention center was set aside, and 11 fan clubs from aross the country were invited to set up and operate a booth. Chicago Force was very proud to be one of those selected for this honor, along with the 501st, Rebel Legion, the Indy Knights, and Brick to Bothans, a LEGO building group. Chicago Force used this opportunity to talk to fellow fans and spread the word about our activities and events. We had a great time running the booth, and thank everyone who stopped by for spending a few minutes to talk to us.

Ask anyone that was there, though, and they will tell you they had a great time. Star Wars fan normally get along quite well with one another and there were so many people there, it was like having a friend around every corner. It’s a safe bet that there will be a Celebration III in the weeks proceeding the release of Episode III in May 2005, so start saving today!

: Huge ‘thank you’ card for George Lucas.

: Bob the Battle Droid, chillin’ in the CF booth

: Darth Jax and bounty hunter

: The eternal battle of Good vs. Evil, geek-style

: Mos Eisley display in the diarama room.

: Other diaramas.

: A LEGO diarama

: The lines went on…

: …and on.

: …and on…

: The voice-activated R2-D2 display

: Chicago Force Meet ‘n’ Greet

: We pose next to a big, hairy monster…and Sully, from “Monsters, Inc.”

: “Jedi Knight Parking Only. All others will be towed.”

: Jedi Lars goes on the record.

: This guy’s name is George, and he likes to wear jeans and flannel shirts. Honest.

: Natalie Portman poses with a cardboard cutout of Rex Karrde.

: Thom gets the autograph of Jester Fett.

: Who loves ya?

: The last time Ray asks anyone to ‘give him a hand’.

: Plenty of troopers on hand to keep the peace.

: The “Bricks to Bothans” booth.

: Full-sized LEGO R2-D2

: More excellent LEGO pieces.

: The firing squad lines up on Obi-Wan.

: Costume shop in the vendor area

: I really, really want that Vader outfit.

: Everyone stopped by to make little tan LEGO blocks…

: …which they used to build the world’s largest LEGO Yoda

: LEGO Jango Fett

: LEGO Darth Vader

: Members of the 501st fan club volunteered for guard duty.

: Wouldn’t you like to have that in your driveway?

: Late night snacks for tired geeks.

: Thom Solo, Red-haired warrior of Nalgoth

: Darth Jax

: Alex, the financially-impaired fan

: Ray, confused southsider

: Anthony Daniels made a big hit by coming on stage with R2-D2.

: The finished product

Chicago Force shows it’s Dark Side at CapriCon

Posted on February 7, 2002 by Hazmatt

Here are pictures from the Chicago Force’s 2002 CapriCon room party. I was not actually in attendance at the room party (although meeting everyone at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner was my first offical CF outing. Ah, the difference a year makes), so if anyone has any amusing anecdotes, they will most certainly be welcome.

The theme for this party was “Club Sith”.