By Marney Simon | Bugle Staff
The Dark Side made a visit to downtown Joliet on Saturday, June 2.
The Joliet Public Library hosted their ninth annual Star Wars Day, with assistance from the Joliet Area Historical Museum, the Rialto Square Theatre, the Joliet City Center Partnership, and the Heritage Corridor.
The event included authors, artists, vendors, food, games, crafts, virtual reality games, and visitors from a galaxy far, far away.
In May, Executive Director Megan Millen told members of the City Council that the event had not only grown over the years but had even helped the library gain a national recognition.
“This event has grown from a small summer reading kickoff to a multi-agency extravaganza, that last year attracted over 10,000 people to downtown Joliet,” Millen said. “We are really proud to announce the Joliet Library has won the prestigious American Library Association Excellence in Library Programming Award for 2018 for our Star Wars event.”
The American Library Association (ALA) Excellence in Library Programming Award recognizes a library that demonstrates excellence in library programming by creating a cultural/thematic program type or program series that engages the community in planning, sponsorship or active participation, addresses an identified community need, and has a measurable impact.
The Joliet Library hosts the largest Disney-approved Star Wars event of its kind in the world. Started in 2009, the span and scope of Joliet’s Star Wars Day has grown exponentially each year, becoming a small Star Wars convention and attracting thousands of visitors from several states.
The award includes $5,000 and a citation of achievement. The award will be presented to the Joliet Public Library at this year’s ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.