'Star Wars' hits Bloomington Best Buy

Freshman Joseph Loy stood in line for more than five hours to get his copy of the "Star Wars" trilogy. \nLoy joined more than 200 people gathered before midnight on Monday to wait in line at Best Buy for their copy of the "Star Wars" Trilogy on DVD. \nEmployees dressed as Storm Troopers, Imperial Guards and Darth Vader greeted "Star Wars" fans at the doors.\n"Technically I was here at 6:30," Loy said. "I've been a 'Star Wars' fan since birth ... really. I first saw the movies when I was three, and it was just awesome."\nBest Buy manager Scott Bush said the idea to open at midnight was brought to him by a local "Star Wars" group.\n"We were approached by the local group, the Hoosier Alliance, a 'Star Wars' group that wanted to have a midnight opening here," Bush said. "All we did was call corporate Best Buy and asked them, and they said yes."\nThe Bloomington Best Buy was one of nine Best Buy stores in the nation that were open Monday night for the DVD release. Other cities with midnight releases included, Chicago, Riverside, Calif., Westwood, Calif., Los Angeles, Sterling, Va., White Marsh, Md., Richfield, Minn., Plano, Texas, and Westbury, Ny.\nBush also said this was the first time the Best Buy in Bloomington had held a midnight event since the store opened in 2003. \n"We've never done this before," Bush said. "It's always a learning experience, but it was pretty well planned. And we had a good response, and everyone chipped in and helped out."\nLoy said one of the things he first liked about the movies was the bright shiny objects used throughout the films. \n"I loved, like, light sabers," he said. "As a kid, you love anything shiny."\nLoy said he would be buying multiple copies of the movie.\n"I am buying two of everything," he said.\nThe Hoosier Alliance was in full force Monday night. Hoosier Alliance member and Bloomington resident Eric Stuckey got the ball rolling for the event by approaching Best Buy with his suggestion for the midnight release party.\n"I came in at the end of March and approached Best Buy about having this event here," he said. "Best Buy didn't do that good with 'Lord of the Rings' because Wal-Mart was open and they weren't. I told the managers that they should stay open."\nDedication helped to assure Stuckey saw the big event come to pass, as he went to the store on a bi-weekly basis to talk to Best Buy staff. \n"Basically I came in every other week since March," Stuckey said.\nStuckey also said because his group has been founded in March, this has been its biggest event. The next meeting is at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9. All are welcome to monthly meetings at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, 2813 E. Third St.\nAnd there is only one requirement, Stuckey said: "We're open to everyone and anyone who has a passion for 'Star Wars.'"\n-- Contact senior writer Lindsay Jancek at lmjancek@indiana.edu.