What is the Chicago Force?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Okay, so it wasn't that long ago. It was just May 1999, in fact. And it wasn't that far away, just McClurg Court Theaters in Chicago, IL. It was a pretty big deal all the same: Chicago's biggest line-up for The Phantom Menace.

Chicago Force was there, joining other area fans in celebrating the release of George Lucas' first Star Wars film in sixteen years. We'd begun planning for our line in January of 1999 and had organized a few charity events to take advantage of the line. Our raffle and T-shirt sales raised $1500 for Partners in Education, a local charity dedicated to helping inner-city kids make the most of the opportunities that life offers. During the line-up for Episode II, we were able to raise over $2000 which we donated to Jane Addam's Hull House, a Chicago-based organization that helps Chicagoans from children to abused women to seniors.

Since the line, we've continued in our quest to establish ourselves as the premier midwestern Star Wars fan organization. We met to enjoy the strains of John Williams at Ravinia, we whooped it up at WindyCon, and we won Best Party and Best Beverage at Capricon XX in January 2000! Our party status reached such proportions that in 2004, Capricon invited Chicago Force to decorate and run the offical Con Suite.

Our future goals are to continue attracting area fans, to expand our charitable efforts in new directions, and to have a great time celebrating our shared love for the Star Wars universe.

May the Chicago Force be with you, always!