Wedding Ring Bearer, LA

R2 finally participated in a wedding as Ring Bearer. He also delivered the toasting glasses to the bride & groom at the reception, using a specially designed tray.

ICAN Bowling Fundraiser

R2 again attended this annual fundraiser for the International Child Abuse Network in Canoga Park. Members of the 501st did face painting for attendees.

Arizona R2 Builder's gathering

R2 made a road trip to Phoenix, AZ for a gathering of local R2 builders.

Treehouse Social Club Birthday, Beverly Hills

R2 entertained the kids at a children's birthday party at the Treehouse Social Club in Beverly Hills.

Mercy's 6th Birthday Party at Angel's Playground

Mercy is a little girl who has spent a lot of time in hospitals since a car accident 4 years ago. She first met the 501st Legion during a hospital visit, where Darth Vader encouraged her to continue wearing a breathing mask that she needed to help her lungs work properly. Since then, her family has developed a relationship with the club, which sent several characters out, including Darth Vader and our R2-D2. The party was held at a wheelchair-accessible playground called Angels' Playground in Costa Mesa. Mercy, her family and friends thoroughly enjoyed all the attention they got from the Star Wars characters.

Cub Scout Pack 798 Meeting, Placentia

R2-D2 appeared at a Star Wars themed Pack meeting for Cub Scout Pack 798 at Golden Elementary School in Placentia. The boys & their families enjoyed hearing about how R2-D2 was built & the types of activities he goes to. We took off R2's head & back panel so they could look inside at his wires and inner workings, as well as see all the celebrity autographs on the back panel. Michael encouraged the young boys to be curious about how things work and learn to repair things that break, such as their toys. That type of curiousity & ingenuity leads to developing the engineering skills necessary to build cool things like R2-D2. It's rewarding to be able to potentially inspire young minds.

R2-LA VI

The 6th annual gathering of R2 Builders was held at our home again this year. About 50 people attended the 12-hour event, while more than 100 online viewers watched the live webcast via 3 cameras stationed around the house & yard. Viewers were able to type questions and comments that appeared on laptops and the big screen here. Attendees could reply by either speaking into the camera with audio, or by typing into one of the laptops. It was crazy! One of the viewers even created an online trivia contest complete with prizes, to add to the online interest. We moved droids out to the back patio this year, where we had about a dozen operational units driving around. Plus more parts indoors. It's amazing how much this event grows every year!

R2-LA wouldn't be complete without some type of shenanigans orchestrated by Mike McMaster. A bunch of the guys surprised Michael with T-shirts that said, "Who's Mike Senna?" and had a funny picture of his face. Builders were encouraged to bring their childhood Star Wars artwork. Two women made R2-D2 cakes during the day. A baby wore an R2-D2 onesie. There was even an R2-D2 pachinko machine and an automated C3PO. The event was kicked off with a pizza dinner Friday night, and wrapped up with brunch on Sunday. A very full & exhausting weekend with a fun group of people!