Keizer Times - Keizer, Oregon
http://www.keizertimes.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=8486

Using the force for charity

August 31, 2007

By JASON COX
Of the Keizertimes

KEIZERTIMES/Jason Cox Above, members of the Dark Side Troopers – including the feared Darth Vader, at right, make an appearance at Tony's Kingdom of Comics.

It's not often you see Darth Vader and Princess Leia of Star Wars fame standing next to each other in peace.

But it was all for a good cause Saturday, August 25, at Tony's Kingdom of Comics in Keizer, as the store celebrated the 30th anniversary of the first-ever Star Wars film release, with the Dark Side Troopers and comic book stars in tow.

The Thompson sisters, along with mom Deanna, stopped by the store for a quick photo with the Star Wars legends. They became interested in the movies through their dad.

"We have all the movies," Ashley Thompson said. "And it's for a good cause."

Mom Deanna, meanwhile, was taken aback at the resemblance that Karyn Quick – who plays Princess Leia for the Vancouver, Wash.-based Dark Side Troopers – showed to the actual Rebel Alliance leader from the films.

"She looks just like Princess Leia," Deanna said.

Quick, along with husband Allan, have been "trooping," as she said, for about the last nine months. Her husband was dressed in the white outfit of a storm trooper.

Her husband, who also plays Luke Skywalker at some events, is still acting out a childhood milestone.

"I was 11, so as soon as (the first movie) came out – it was the summer of Star Wars," Allan Quick said. "And look! Thirty years later, I'm still a kid at heart."

Their son, Alex, 8, was wearing a Star Wars shirt at the event.

Also on hand was Randy Emberlin, who has illustrated Star Wars comics as well as The Amazing Spider-Man, G.I. Joe, Batman and The Punisher.

All the proceeds from the Dark Side Troopers photos were donated to the Lucas Clark Foundation. Clark was born in March of 2007 and has already undergone three open-heart surgeries, and the foundation was established to help his parents pay for the rising medical costs.

In a store raffle, store owner Tony Grove said he was able to raise about $300 for the Lucas Clark Foundation.

The Freemason ID program was also in town, fingerprinting and photographing children so parents may be more easily able to locate the kids should they go missing. They took 67 child ID pictures and fingerprints.