R2LA XIV

Today was the 14th annual R2LA event, and the 12th one I've attended. We had more droids and more participants than ever before, with some 60+ droids of all kinds, and over 100 people in attendance, many having traveled from other states!



We started off the day at 9:00am with The Breakfast Show, which is a webcast that basically consists of a Mike Senna/Michael McMaster stream-of-semi-conciousness. At one point, McMaster fed a chicken that was perched on Senna's shoulder a chunk of donut from his own mouth. That pretty much sums up The Breakfast Show.



Around 10:00am setup began. Mike has a very nice canopy system that provides shade for the large backyard, so we hoisted that, and set up tables and chairs.




At 11:00am, the event officially kicked off, and we went live on r2la.com. Droids invaded, and it got crowded fast.






The Star Wars Show came by to record some of the event, you can see the segment here, around the 7:27 mark:





For reasons that are difficult to ascertain, the Northwest guys are fascinated by my plant stand (or are at least pretending to be). So my plant stand was a guest of honor, while they poured over it for measurements.




In the afternoon we all went out front for the group picture.



As it started to get dark, we took to the street to race and crash mouse droids. I didn't have the heart to destroy mine just yet, so it sat on the sidelines. Chris Ellerby in particular did a beautiful job with sounds and undercarriage lights, including a police siren and red and blue lights so he could pull over reckless mice.



Around 10:00pm we started cleaning up outdoors and moved indoors for a little while longer, as the crowd started to dwindle and the droids headed home.



It was another wonderful event, and a big thank you go to Mike and Amy Senna for hosting this year after year. It really is something special.

The full photo set is here.

Star Wars Day at the Corona Public Library 2017

Today R2 joined lots of other Star Wars characters for the Corona Public Library's Star Wars Day.



Lots of people showed up to meet the characters and get pictures with them.







Everyone had a great time, and I'm sure we'll be back.

Star Wars Night at Angel Stadium 2017

Tonight was the 3rd annual Star Wars Night at Angel Stadium, and R2 joined many members of various Star Wars clubs to help commemorate the occasion.



Matthew Henricks joined me as my wrangler/photographer, while Gordon Tarpley joined in as C-3PO.

R2 and C-3PO posed for fans that lined up to take pictures before the game at the stadium's Music Garden. Always great to see these two characters together.



Lots of other characters were available for pre-game pictures as well.






A little before game time, some of the characters were invited to walk the warning track along the perimeter of the field. R2 and C-3PO were among them.




Just as we were about to start our walk, C-3PO and Darth Vader were invited to escort the person throwing the first pitch to the mound, so Gordon got to hang around, while R2 continued his lap around the field.




R2 managed to stave off loneliness, however.



After the third inning, several of the characters participated in the steal-a-base contest, along the 3rd base line. R2 hung back a bit since he's not quite as quick as the two-legged characters.



The characters mingled with fans during the 6th and 7th innings for photos on one of the concourses.



Some of the characters walked the warning track during the 7th inning stretch, but we all agreed that R2 might be a bit too slow to do the trip, and I don't want to be famous for holding up a major league baseball game. Thus, it was time for us to wrap up, and I headed on home as the Angels secured a 7-4 victory. R2's record is now 1-2 with the Angels. He has some catching up to do.

The full photoset is here. Many thanks to Matthew Henricks for taking most of the photos.

Force Sunday 2017 at the Apple Store

Today R2 made a return visit to the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza, in Costa Mesa, CA, to wrap up celebrating Force Friday/Saturday/Sunday. And this time, he had some company!



Gordon Tarpley as C-3PO joined R2, along with a couple of stormtroopers from the 501st, as we provided photo ops for customers as part of the Force Weekend.


Some pics of our visit.







Everyone had a really great time. Hopefully we can return some day.

Force Friday 2017 at the Apple Store

This afternoon, R2 celebrated Force Friday at the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza, in Costa Mesa, CA.



The Apple Store was participating because they were selling the new Sphero R2-D2, along with their BB-8 and BB-9E. The small droids can be controlled via an iPhone.



Surprised customers were designed to see R2, and scores of pictures were taken.



It's not Force Friday unless you're using the Force, right?




Everyone had such a good time and R2's presence was so appreciated, he'll make a return visit on Sunday. And he just might bring some friends.