Jedi training at Hunt

FALLS VILLAGE — Upon entering the David M. Hunt Library Saturday, May 4 participants in the Star Wars “May the Fourth Be With You” activity encountered a large sign with instructions on how to create a Star Wars name.

It’s a straightforward procedure. For the Star Wars first name, combine the first three letters of one’s real last name and the first two letters of the first name.

The Star Wars last name is formed using the first three letters of the real first name and the last two of the last name. This reporter’s nom de Star Wars is Sulpa Ickan. The reporter asked if he could substitute something like “Mylar Ovaltine,” but no, rules are rules.

Brittany Spear-Baron, Assistant Director and Youth Programming Coordinator at the library, took charge, first reading a Star Wars story to the group of a dozen or so children, ranging in age from very small to middle school.

Then everybody was issued a light saber, in the form of a foam pool noodle.

The initial activity was seeing how long a Jedi knight in training could keep a air-filled balloon aloft using the light saber. This required great skill and concentration, as it was breezy and the balloons popped at the slightest provocation.

Eli Sher showed great promise at keeping his balloon in the air, tapping it with the saber a whopping 46 times before it touched the ground.

“I’m the master of the Force!” he declared.

“Ahh, that’s just light saber training,” said another Padawan.

After the warmup exercise, the trainees maneuvered through a laser field and a bed of molten lava. Then the tired Jedi knights went inside for refreshments.