The Saturday, May 31 schedule for the third annual, three-day Forest Moon Festival opened on the Arcata Plaza with up close and personal photo opps with costumed Star Wars characters and appearances by actor Kyle Newman (director of Fanboys) and Kevin Thompson, original cast member as Ewok actor and stunt performer from 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. See the slideshow below for highlights of the festival.
The themed soundtrack at the Farmers’ Market was supplied by the local Miracle Show band outfitted in Star Wars costumes featuring original “Tennessee Jedi Lyrics” written by band members Jeff Kelley and Richard LaPreziosa (read them here).
The action, especially for Ewoks, moved to Sequoia Park in the afternoon for the Star Wars costume contests for children and adults, games, a trivia contest, a variety of vendors and bubbles — lots of bubbles. Later that night, 21-and-older fun continued at the Forest Fest event at the Sequoia Park Zoo and Redwood Sky Walk, featuring a craft beer garden and appearances by the Rebel Force Radio podcast team, one of the largest and internationally popular Star Wars podcasts, and Newman and the Thompsons.
At the same time that evening, the costumed Star Wars characters reappeared next door to the zoo at Sequoia Park, followed by another free-under-the-fog outdoor screening of Return of the Jedi.
To learn more about our local region’s part in Star Wars history as the forest moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi, check out the Forest Moon Exhibit on display at the Redwood Coast Museum of Cinema (235 F St.) in Eureka. The exhibit also features original memorabilia and insights into becoming a certified Lucasfilm costumer.
The Forest Moon Festival is sponsored by Visit Humboldt – California’s Redwood Coast (Humboldt Lodging Alliance), County of Humboldt (with funding from Measure J), County of Del Norte, and California@KyberCave and hosted by the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission.
This article appears in Glory Over Land and Sea.