{"id":1232,"date":"2007-06-04T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2007-06-04T12:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_ms_news\/?p=1232"},"modified":"2012-06-22T16:25:38","modified_gmt":"2012-06-22T20:25:38","slug":"this-month-in-a-theme-park-far-far-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_ms_news\/news\/featured-article\/this-month-in-a-theme-park-far-far-away\/","title":{"rendered":"THIS MONTH, IN A THEME PARK FAR, FAR AWAY…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: Carol Vandiver<\/strong>
\n Photos by: Carol Vandiver and Tina Krasner<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A LONG TIME AGO, IN A THEME PARK FAR, FAR AWAY<\/strong>, Walt Disney World Resort began an annual event which puts its guests in a direct line of contact with Sith, Ewoks, Stormtroopers and Wookies. Ok, so eight years isn’t THAT long ago and Orlando, Florida isn’t THAT far away, but the rest of the story is true!<\/p>\n

Back in 2000, the first Star Wars Weekends were held at Disney-MGM Studios. The event ran for four consecutive weekends in May and each weekend was full of excitement for both the casual and the very serious Star Wars fan.<\/p>\n

This month, the saga continues (ok, so it’s an “event”, not a “saga”), and Disney MGM \"\"Studios will once again host Star Wars Weekends (#8). The first four Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during June, the gates of Disney MGM Studios will be guarded like at no other time. Stormtroopers will lurk high above the park entrance, monitoring guests as they enter the park (bringing a whole new meaning to the term “bag check”!) You can expect to hear Star Wars music playing around the park, walk past Bounty Hunters and see Wookies posing for photos! It’s a Star Wars fan’s “Dream Come True” and if you’re a fan, you won’t want to miss it!<\/p>\n

Perhaps it’s due to the 30th Anniversary Celebration of Star Wars, but for whatever reason, the 2007 guest line up is very impressive. There are celebrity guests from the entire Star Wars saga. The list, which is subject to change, is as follows:<\/p>\n

June 1 – 3: Kenny Baker (R2-D2) & Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars)
\nJune 8 – 10: Ray Park (Darth Maul) & Daniel Logan (Bobba Fett — Episode II)
\nJune 15 – 17: Jeremy Bulloch (Bobba Fett) & Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
\nJune 22 – 24: Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) & Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok)<\/p>\n

Jay Laga’aia will be the event host for each weekend this year. Laga’aia is known as Captain Typho in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Although you’ll find it branching out to other areas in the park, the central point of Star Wars Weekends is the area around Star Tours<\/em>. The stage and the huge event logo backdrop are set up next to the entrance of the popular ride. Taking place on this stage throughout the weekend will be events such as the Jedi Training Academy and the Hyperspace Hoopla.<\/p>\n

How do you prepare yourself for spending the day with an Emperor, an Ewok or a Droid? Very carefully!\u00a0 Here are a few helpful hints:<\/p>\n