Star Wars Characters Hit Road with Summer Tour

Lucasfilm Ltd. is giving Star Wars fans a chance to experience part of the big screen action through a multi-city tour designed to connect consumers with their favorite characters.

Starting Aug. 22, three Star Wars characters (Chewbacca, Darth Vader and Wicket the Ewok) will hit the road on an 11-city tour for a meet-and-greet with fans. Tour stops include Miami, Louisville, KY, Charlotte, NC, Columbus, OH, Portland, OR, Seattle, Houston, Kansas City, Buffalo, NY, Las Vegas and San Diego, CA. Star Wars characters will make appearances at Niagara Falls, Major League Baseball games and at a Las Vegas wedding. Tour details are available at StarWars.com.

"We wanted to give fans a chance to meet their favorite characters and get a unique kind of Star Wars experience," said Tom Warner, senior director of marketing for Lucas film Ltd., in a statement.

The tour dovetails with the Sept. 12 release of Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment's Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi on DVD. The DVDs will be available through Dec. 31. In addition, Lucas Arts and TT Games will release the Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy video game.

During the tour, fans can snap pictures of themselves and the characters starting Aug. 11 and send them to StarWars.com for a chance to win a trip to Celebration IV in Los Angeles. Under the Bringing it Home contest, consumers must submit photos that show what they love most about their favorite Star Wars characters from the original trilogy. One grand prize winner gets a trip for four to Celebration IV, three Star Wars movie DVDs and a Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy video game. Lesser prizes include Star Wars replica lightsabers, Star Wars DVDs and Star Wars video games.

The tour runs through Sept. 11. Lucasfilm Ltd. handles the contest. Online materials support.

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