Happy Star Wars Day!

Dear Colorado: where are my nerds? I sorely miss working at the Cincinnati Comic Expo, I don’t have a roleplaying group in Fort Collins and I have barely touched a board game in a year and a half. Something’s gotta give!

On Star Wars Day (May the Fourth…), the Poudre River Library and the Fort Collins Comic Con held their Kessel Run: a 2-3 mile fun run around the library’s Old Town campus. Before the run, the event included a costume contest, a martial arts demonstration of “Jedi skills,” and a tribute to the late Peter Mayhew.

Throughout the run, families could also take a break to make lightsabers out of pool noodles, practice their dueling form and have a go at the Death Star trench. Oh, and did I mention that the library had set up “water cantinas“? I had found my people.

If that weren’t enough geekery (and it wasn’t), the first Saturday in May is also Free Comic Book Day nationwide. This was Dan and my second year popping by Gryphon Games & Comics for our haul.

I picked up Riverdale, Lady Mechanika, Under the Moon, Lumberjanes, Sheets, and Interceptor. Dan opted for H1 Ignition, Star Wars Adventures, Deadly Class and Bob’s Burgers.

Gryphon also hosts a number of social events, from comic book reading groups to introductions to RPGs. I’d like to carve out more time to reconnect with this side of my joy.

P.S. The night before, Dan and I visited Boulder to wander Pearl Street and see a play with our ride-or-dies. For dinner, Linda had chosen River & Woods, a “Colorado comfort cuisine” restaurant with charm for days. Their backyard patio is sweet as can be, their food is inventive and seasonal, and they accept recipes from the community.

P.P.S. Did you know that a Meyer lemon is quite different from a lemon? #tmyk