Close to 800 Stars Wars fans lined up at 91原创's Toy Traders store on Sunday Dec. 8, for an opportunity to have their by-donation pictures taken with "Santa" Vader, in film-accurate black garb with a bright red Santa hat, as were droids R2-D2 and C-3PO accompanied by a storm trooper whose weapon was clad in Christmas gift wrap and a pair of Jawas bedecked in holiday tinsel.
It was the eighth "Santa Vader" event since the store started hosting the annual fundraiser, a partnership between Toy Traders and the 501st Legion Outer Rim Garrison of B.C.
An all-volunteer group of Star Wars fans with a penchant for bad guys, the charity-minded garrison is devoted to "the creation and use of quality costumes that portray the villainous, morally ambiguous, or non-partisan characters from the Star Wars universe" according to its website .
Toy Traders owner Matthew Purdy estimated $4,100 was raised in just six hours, an near-record amount of money that will go to the 91原创 Shrine Club.
"It's an annual tradition going back 10 years [not including the two years of the pandemic] and people tell us they look forward to it every year," Purdy said.
Santa Vader returned to Toy Traders in 91原创 on Sunday to help raise funds for the Shriners
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People like Andrew Trip and his family, who were concerned about being late, so they arrived early from Surrey and ended up first in line.
"We've done this [almost] every year since my little guy Toby was born," said the former 91原创 resident, who told the 91原创 Advance Times his favourite Star Wars character was Chewbacca, the towering Wookie introduced in the original trilogy, while his seven-year-old son favours BB-8, the droid character seen in the more recent trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
"We'll keep coming as long as they do it," Trip said.
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