Before the Star Wars Celebrations began being held in Florida and California, they were in a small midwest state. Indiana.
April, 2005–Star Wars Celebration III was in Indianapolis, Indiana, the capital of my home state. I could not have been more excited! LucasArts was gearing up for the May 2005 release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith during this time. The event was wonderful; tons of booths, cosplayers, even the man himself George Lucas showed up on day three of the celebration! It was the first Celebration I ever attended and I was blown away. So many great Star Wars actors were on hand for autographs–and the most important one for me was Mr. Billy Dee Williams, aka Lando Calrissian.
I remember standing in line waiting to get to the front of the autograph line. At the time I thought the autograph cost a lot, $75. But now I’d gladly pay that for any of the big names from the franchise. As I got to the front of the line, I got to choose which photo I wanted Mr. Williams to sign. I went with the classic Lando on the sail barge at Jabba’s palace–mostly because 1. The signature would be very visible, and 2. It’s a cool shot of Lando. When I finally was in front of Mr. Williams, he was very quiet. I said I’d like the autograph addressed to me (I get all of my autographs personalized, it’s a great way to say I was there, plus one day I hope my kid thinks it’s cool). I recall Mr. Williams was wearing a very large turquoise ring during the signing; and I thought to myself Lando was as cool and stylish as he was because of how cool and stylish Billy Dee Williams is. All in all it was a fun time, and I’ve got a great souvenir.
Courtney Martin is a graduate of Indiana University and works in publishing. She’s an avid Star Wars fan and wrote the recipe blog Courtney Cooks Star Wars on suvudu.com. When not enveloped a science fiction or fantasy novel, she is watching television with her husband and son, doing crossword puzzles, or playing with her Shih Tzu, Burt.