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Joliet library finds it can’t end Star Wars Day

Library reverses course on Star Wars Day and announces it will be held June 4

By Bob Okon
A line of Tusken Raiders marches in the parade during the Joliet Public Library's fifth annual Star Wars Day on Saturday, June 7, 2014.

A line of Tusken Raiders marches in a parade during the Joliet Public Library's fifth annual Star Wars Day in 2014.

Star Wars Day now is set for June 4 as the Joliet Public Library completes a u-turn from its announcement Friday that the event would never be held again.

“The Joliet Public Library is excited to announce that after outpouring amounts of support for the event, Star Wars Day is back on the calendar for Saturday, June 4, 2022,” the Tuesday announcement states. “The library will be working on event details in the coming months.”

Just what Star Wars Day will be this year is still to be determined, but library officials found out over the weekend that they could not put an end to the event that attracts more than 10,000 people to downtown Joliet.

A Stormtrooper during the Joliet Public Library's fifth annual Star Wars Day on Saturday, June 7, 2014.

Star Wars Day attracts an estimated 10,000-plus people to downtown Joliet.

“We made the decision [to end it] not realizing the huge outcry we’d receive and how beloved the event was,” library Executive Director Megan Millen said Tuesday.

On Monday, Millen appeared before the Joliet City Council to say the library was reversing its decision to end Star Wars Day.

Megan Millen, executive director of the Joliet Public library, delivers a speech about needed updates to the library Monday at Joliet City Hall in Joliet. Joliet City Council members heard a proposal to renovate the Joliet Public Library, which included a virtual reality tour of the proposed changes.

Megan Millen, executive director of the Joliet Public library, speaks to at a past City Council meeting. (Geoff Stellfox)

Mayor Bob O’Dekirk early in the meeting called on Millen to address the council, which is when she broke the news that Star Wars Day is back on. O’Dekirk spoke with Millen earlier in the day and said after the council meeting that the city will get involved in Star Wars Day after hearing Millen’s concerns.

“There area a number of things she said that I think the city can have a positive impact on,” O’Dekirk said.

The last Star Wars Day was in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic put it on hold for two years. As the library began to consider a 2022 event, it was apparent that the people who worked on it in the past were no longer around, Millen said.

“Most of the people had left and gone to different positions, including the person on library staff who spent six months of her year planning it,” she said.

People from the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Rialto Square Theatre who worked on the last event also were gone. Millen said she was the last one left with any experience planning a Star Wars Day.

A remote control R2-D2 at the Joliet Area Historical Museum during the Joliet Public Library's fifth annual Star Wars Day on Saturday.

The Joliet Area Historical Museum, where R2-D2 appeared in 2014, has been among the venues for Star Wars Day. (Lathan Goumas)

At the council meeting, Council member Jan Quillman criticized Millen for not notifying City Hall before the Friday announcement.

“You can’t just drop an event because you can’t handle it again,” Quillman said after the meeting. “We can’t just let it go.”

Millen said she also heard from the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry as well as event enthusiasts that Star Wars Day must go on. Now, she’s looking forward to help from them and others.

“I’m happy that the city is going to help us,” Millen said. “I’m happy the chamber is going to help us. I’m happy that citizens are going to help us.”

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