Art, Music, and a 42ft Wookie on Fire? Welcome to Ignition!

 
The International Krewe of Chewbacchus (a delightfully nerdy Mardi Gras parade crew and registered religious entity) recently held a benefit event fit for a Wookie. As a satirical space cult, the IKOC exemplifies the idea of 'go big or go home' and prides itself on being a bastion of all-inclusive revelry, and their nerdy Burning Man style festival, Ignition: Chewburnitall, was no exception.

Who DOESN'T Wanna Fight With Lightsabers?!

I honestly don't think I know a single person who watched Star Wars as a child and didn't swing a broomstick or golf club or wrapping paper roll around pretending it was a lightsaber (providing their own sound effects of course). The fact that there are Lightsaber Dueling Clubs all around the Country proves I'm not the only one with such fond, childhood memories. So, when I found out a Club was starting up in my own backyard, it was only natural that I had to go check it out!

I caught up with the Lightsaber Dueling Club of New Orleans at their second get together (appropriately) held under the Dueling Oaks in City Park. After a short safety briefing from organizer Scott Simmons, and a sudden rainstorm that sent everyone scrambling under the cover of a nearby gazebo, the meeting got going under the guidance of Thomas Heller of Shogun Martial Arts. Heller happened upon the Club's first meeting and fell in love with the idea of finally applying his practical knowledge and training in Japanese Sword Fighting to dueling with lightsabers. He was so excited to join in the fun that he brought his family and several of his students with him. Everyone else in attendance was obviously delighted to have Heller there to help guide them, and everyone seemed to have a blast.

Lightsaber Dueling Club

I got in touch with Simmons afterward to get a little more information:

She-Geeks: How did the Lightsaber Dueling Club come to be?

Scott Simmons: The Lightsaber Dueling Club was an epiphany for me. Scott Rivet and I are the co-captains of Sith Happens. [Editors Note: Sith Happens is a sub-krewe of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus, a geeky New Orleans parade krewe you can read all about here.] Our original concept was to have an equal number of Old Empire Sith Lords in periodic lightsaber fights with Jedi of the Old Republic (before the rule of two) through the streets of the Marigny. Unfortunately, our twin sister Jedi Krewe never materialized. I realized that if we were going to make this concept work the next year, we really needed to learn to realistically fight with Lightsabers. That was the birth of the Lightsaber Dueling Club of New Orleans. Our first members were all Chewbacchus members of Sith Happens, but we have now attracted many other Star Wars fans. This will only accelerate when the frenzy of the new movies begins.

SG: Do you have any specific goals for the Club?

SS: 1. To learn the 7 forms of lightsaber fighting according to the Star Wars canon and practice them to a level of proficency for each member in at least one form.
2. To be able to realistically duel in front of the Chewbacchus Parade crowd and provide them a spectacle that they will remember. (A third side goal is to create a short dueling film. I have written a script for a 7 to 10 minute film that will capture the essence of the Old Republic/Empire Struggle and an exciting duel between Sith and Jedi. There is a competition every year for the best choreographed light saber dueling film.

SG: What are the details interested people should know?

SS: Interested parties should start by visiting our facebook page "The Lightsaber Dueling Club of New Orleans".  There are guides to where to buy or make practice sabers, safety equipment and goals. There are also lots of links to form and practice links. Our first rule is safety. Lightsaber dueling takes a certain level of fitness. No one with a heart, blood or lung condition should participate, but are welcome to join and watch. Safety is our most important precept.

The next meeting of the Club will be on Sunday, June 28th from 1-4pm at Audubon Park in New Orleans.

Chewbacchus Part Two: The Parade-er-ing

Peter & Angie Mayhew in Chewbacchus (Photo: NOLA.com)

Last week I took you on a backstage tour of the geekiest Mardi Gras parade around, The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus (check it out here). This time, I'm bringing you photos from the parade itself as it rolled down the streets of New Orleans delighting the masses. With the great Wookie himself, Peter Mayhew, and his lovely wife Angie at the forefront (followed closely by Andy Richter from the Conan show) the walking parade wound along a nearly 4 mile route filled with enthusiastic fans and revelers hoping to snag some nerd swag and snapping endless photos. Follow along for some of the photos of my favorite Mardi Gras parade, and one hell of a block party!

The Mardi Gras Parade No Geek Should Miss

It's Mardi Gras season here in New Orleans, which means tourists, traffic, king cakes, endless renditions of Mardi Gras Mambo, and (of course) parades. If you're a geek in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras and don't go to the Chewbacchus parade, you're doing it wrong. Period. No excuses. Seriously, even Peter Mayhew himself rides in this geek parade.

If you've been paying attention, you've heard me go on about Chewbacchus before; well, here's where I explain exactly why this relatively new parade has been growing by leaps and bounds every year and has a distinctly cult-like following (more on the cult thing later). Read on as I go on an exclusive tour of the parade's "den" (where many of the contraptions are created and stored), introduce a brand new sub-krewe, and give you guys a sneak peek of some of the awesome, hand-made stuff you'll see rolling down the parade route on Saturday (including some fabulous throws to look out for):

My Dream Kitchen is Star Wars Themed

I love cooking. I love baking. I love throwing dinner parties (though the general consensus is that they will, in fact, be the death of me one day). I am a big 'ole fan of Dance Cooking in particular.

Yep, that's me and my favorite spatula.

Basically, the kitchen is where I largely find what little zen I can. It should come as no surprise then, that my kitchen is the room I most often dream about giving a badass makeover. I have a lovely vision of a posh, clean-lined oasis with a country sink, subway tile accent wall, simple but spacious cabinetry, and hammered copper fixtures. Truly, it's going to be glorious when I win the lottery and can finally afford to remodel the room where the cookies come from.* 

Just because my vision would put the studio kitchens on The Food Network to shame, however, doesn't mean it wouldn't also be a geek haven. Oh, no! One of the best things about being an adult (aside from eating dessert for breakfast or breakfast for dinner), is being able to express your geek love however much or little you may want. So, in addition to being classy as hell, my dream kitchen is also Star Wars themed, because I can. Here are my top 10 items to keep your geek kitchen chic whether you're on the Death Star or a Rebel Base: