Special Guests | Saluki Con | SIU

The Midwest Garrison is the Illinois chapter of The 501st Legion, a Star Wars Imperial costuming club. The 501st is dedicated to the movie-quality costumes of the "villains" of the Star Wars universe.

The MWG provides a means for Star Wars fans to meet and network with each other to engage in the hobby of building and improving Imperial costumes from the Star Wars movies. All of our costumes are scratch-built or "fan-made," whether through the arduous process of building molds and vacuum-forming, or assembling costumes from found objects.

St. Louis R2 Builders Group - Southern Illinois University alumnus (class of 2004), James Chaklos, is a local R2-D2 builder and a member of the non-profit, St. Louis R2 Builders Group. James works to promote his love for science and “Star Wars” by taking his hand-built R2-D2 model to local schools, hospitals, and other charity events in the Southern Illinois Region. Visit his booth for a special surprise this year – a half-sized BB-8 Model.