Colin Cantwell’s life on display at Star Wars Day celebration hosted by Maker Radio and Idea Fab Lab in Chico, CA
We welcome any opportunity to talk to people about Colin Cantwell’s legacy, so we jumped at the chance to put together an exhibit of not just his Star Wars work but also his rich, colorful life for the Star Wars Day celebration on May 4, 2025 (“May the fourth be with you”) hosted by Maker Radio and Idea Fab Labs in Chico, CA. A great group of people run that location, and we encourage anyone who lives in the area to visit the Maker Radio and Idea Fab Labs Facebook Pages to learn more about getting involved with their efforts.
The event drew in many people from around the community, with plenty of families stopping by to have fun with lightsaber battles and playing around with a Tatooine-inspired sand box. There was also a bouncy house, a fashion show, Star Wars props (including Boba Fett’s rifle) built by Andy Duch, and several bands and solo musicians: Black Fong, One Up, Yahmo, The Crash Carts, and Derrien.
Colin Cantwell’s life, from beginning to end
Last Friday night, I installed the gallery exhibit that took people through Colin’s life, from childhood until his final years in Colorado. His Star Wars work was a major focus, of course, but I also touched on the other movies he worked on — Around the World in 80 Days, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and WarGames — as well as his work at NASA and his interest in quantum physics, music, and other subjects.
I spent my time at the event answering attendees’ questions about Colin and letting them know more about his life. Most of them knew very little, or nothing, about Colin’s Star Wars contributions, but a couple attendees had some awareness thanks to the event that Colin and his long-term partner, Sierra Dall, put on at the local comic book shop Collectors Ink in 2019. (Side note: the Collectors Ink folks are great people who donated a bunch of free Star Wars comic books to give away at the event, so be sure to check them out if you’re in the area.)
Many thanks to everyone who attended, as well as the wonderful people at Maker Radio and Idea Fab Labs who invited me to join them in an awesome celebration of all things Star Wars.
