Comic-Con’s, Cosplay and video gaming are among the popular trends with young people. Walden has a Stormtrooper helmet that he plans on wearing at the event. He also encourages others to bring their own costumes and lightsabers.
“I want to explore those areas and try and bring those into RiversEdge. ‘Star Wars’ is an easy go to, and everyone loves ‘Star Wars,’ I think it’s fun, even for adults to be kids again and dress up, bring their kids out, and everyone just geek-out for a while,” Walden said.
The Star Wars themed event, “May The 4th Be With You” on Saturday, May 4, will feature the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” film, complete with popcorn, a costume contest, an interactive light show and “Star Wars” trivia.
He said, “We want to do things that are more family-friendly, engaging for kids and families, but also fun for adults. There are so many different things in the world other than live music, which music is great, and we’re going to keep doing it, but we’re trying to expand our programming.”
Walden said he is a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan and said “there’s a lot of activity on May 4 because of ‘Star Wars’ fandom. So, I wanted to participate on that day, and create some buzz around Hamilton on May 4 as opposed to it just being a social media thing.”
Walden said the event will include an interactive light show, “using our lighting rig to highlight some of the action in the movie, and create more of an interactive feel.”
He said is looking for ways to connect with people.
“I think it’s a great thing for your mental health and well being to get outside and meet other people. It doesn’t matter really what the event is, or where it’s at as long as you’re getting out and interacting with other people. Also, it helps strengthen the community. I think people getting out, face-to-face, and interacting with people in a shared experience makes everyone happier,” he said.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will be shown on a 14 x 7 ft. video wall from the stage with full sound. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets or chairs.
“What we’re about is providing something awesome for the community to get together and share in an experience,” Walden said. “The people that came out for the Eclipse event is the most people I’ve ever seen in Marcum Park, and it really showed its full potential as a space to hold an event like that…It creates a great environment all around. We’re lucky in Hamilton to have this and we can use it as our Central Park, basically. It’s Hamilton’s Central Park.”
RiversEdge is looking for volunteers to help work at events, including the May 4 event and summer concert series. Those interested in volunteering can email RiversEdge at riversedgeconcerts@gmail.com.
How to go
What: May The 4th Be With You – Movie in the Park at RiversEdge featuring “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
When: Sat., May 4; movie starts at sundown 8:15-8:30 p.m. (The movie run time is 136 minutes.)
Where: RiversEdge Amphitheater at Marcum Park, 116 Dayton Street, downtown Hamilton
Admission: Free. Items will be available for purchase, including popcorn and beer.
More info: riversedgelive.com and facebook.com/HamiltonRiversEdge.
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