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The Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare & Recreation, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, hosted a ‘May the 4th Strongcon,’ Star Wars convention at Armstrong’s Club, May 4-5.
Over 450 fans of all ages came together to celebrate “May the 4th” and immerse themselves in the captivating universes of galaxies far, far away. ‘Star Wars Day’ on May the 4th yearly is a day for fans to celebrate all things Star Wars by re-watching the movies, dressing up as their favorite characters, and participating in Star Wars-themed events and activities.
“May the 4th be with you” is a popular catchphrase used by fans of the Star Wars franchise that plays on the famous line, “May the Force be with you,” often used as a blessing or farewell in the series.
Jemal Hutson, Armstrong’s Club business manager, DFMWR, said he was very happy with the event’s turnout.
“The participants really loved the trivia contests, the vendors, and the costume contest,” said Hutson. “We plan to maintain these highlights for next year’s event. Additionally, we’re exploring ways to incorporate more German vendors alongside our community vendors.”
The event featured a wide range of activities, including cosplay contests, merchandise vendors with comics, toys, games, anime and other collectibles, themed trivia contests with prizes, art exhibits, face painting, photos with Star Wars characters, a gaming room with free board game and trading card game demonstrations for all ages, and more.
Hutson mentioned that the event vendors achieved excellent sales. The book seller sold out of all their books, and the artist creating fan art had only a couple of pictures left by the end of the two days.
“All vendors achieved strong sales and were very happy with their results,” he said.
Hutson shared that he recently learned about a Star Trek fan club with members who also enjoy participating in conventions like these, so going forward, his team will be sure to extend invitations to the Star Trek fan club as well.
“We’ll aim to schedule the event when even more fan club members with great costumes can participate,” he said. “Given that May 4th was already heavily booked for many Star Wars cosplayers, we’ll consider alternative dates.”
And for next year Hutson said that Armstrong’s Club is planning to engage with Outdoor Recreation and other are organizations to gather ideas for additional activities to offer, focusing especially on options for children attending the event.
USAG Rheinland-Pfalz serves, supports, and secures the total force community enabling power projection for the European Theater.
