Yesterday, October 10, LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary was released. Events were held in bookstores and LEGO stores all across the country to celebrate the release. Not only was NJOE’s news team sent an advance copy of the book to review (which can be found a couple posts below this one), we were also asked to cover any of the release parties that we could. The location in New Hampshire, a Barnes and Noble in Newington, was close to me, so I decided to drop in and see what the party was like. You can read more after the jump.

Newington’s Barnes and Noble is located in the business district. The store is placed on one end of a strip mall, with several major stores, a 15 theater cineplex, and the Fox Run Mall all in close proximity. Needless to say, it is one of the liveliest parts of town, and I am never bored there.

The release party went from about 2 PM to 4 PM. I managed to arrive around 3:00. As I approached the entrance to the store, I grinned as I saw two clone troopers, members of the 501st Legion, talking to a group of children who were also decked out in costume, and taking pictures with them. A B+N staff member was handing out LEGO Star Wars stickers in the doorway.

There were other members of the 501st inside the store. In total, there were six; two clone troopers, two stormtroopers, a Jedi wielding a green lightsaber, and a Mandalorian.

When I first entered, they were on the set of steps that separate the in-house Starbucks from the rest of the store, taking pictures with more costumed fans. Some of the fans had great outfits, but for privacy reasons, we couldn’t take any pictures of them.

When they gained a free moment, the group moved over to order some coffee:

I believe that most of the release festivities happened before I could arrive. There was a large display rack for the dictionaries in the middle of the store.

Most of them had been sold by the time I arrived, but there were still a few left. In the back of the store, where the kids section is, there were the remnants of the activities that had taken place before I’d arrived; a raffle, among other things:

I returned to the front of the store to find both stormtroopers avidly searching for a zombie survival guide.

“In honor of Deathtroopers,” one said. I imagine that if I were a stormtrooper, I’d be pretty scared of zombification too, so I’m not surprised that they were looking for a book like that.

The rest of the group had moved into the magazine section:

and continued to pose with the fans who found them.

The volunteers from the 501st were enthusiastic and authentic. The Jedi in the middle was actually from Alderaan Base, a 501st esque costuming group that is only present in New England. One of the clones informed me that, though the two groups are separate, they often coordinate events since they share the same theme. Besides posing for photo ops, the members of the group would move around the store individually, and mingle with the customers. Overall, it seemed like a very positive experience. I saw lots of happy children getting to take pictures with the heroes they’ve only gotten to see on television and in the movies. Although I didn’t get to stay for very long, I liked what I saw.