'Star Wars' fans in Tennessee awaken the Force

Dave Paulson | USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

If you ever find yourself shopping at Hair World Beauty Supply on Gallatin Road in East Nashville, keep an eye out for Chewbacca.

That’s where Matt Pfingsten goes to buy hair extensions.

He sews them together into a mesh suit, and combined with a professionally molded mask and 7-inch platform boots, transforms into “Chewie,” the beloved 7-foot-tall “Wookie” creature from the Star Wars films.

Pfingsten has been dressing up as Chewbacca for 10 years, and if you saw him in the parking lot at last week’s Tennessee Titans game, you’d understand why. Nearly everyone who passed through on their way to Nissan Stadium – whether they were 4 or 64 – had to stop, smile and in many cases, ask for a selfie. Pfingsten gave a friendly growl each time.

He wasn’t alone, either. Also prowling the remote corner of the Nissan Stadium lot were several Imperial Stormtroopers (identified by their sleek white body armor and helmets) and new super villain Kylo Ren. But even the bad guys were giving out fist bumps and taking photos.

Welcome to the world of the Midsouth Garrison. That’s the name of the Tennessee and Kentucky chapter of the 501st Legion, a global organization of Star Wars fans who dress up as their favorite characters – and put together the costumes themselves.

“I grew up with Star Wars,” said Nashville member Adam Hehnen. “And then to find out that there's a community built around it, and we can all go out, hang out and be friends, and we can use our love of Star Wars to help children's charities is just amazing.”

More stormtroopers

The Garrison has been particularly busy this year as excitement mounts for “The Force Awakens,” which will hit movie theaters on Dec.17. It’s the first new Star Wars film in a decade, and original stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill are reprising their roles after a 32-year absence.

East Nashvillian Chris Williams is one of many fans who’ve joined the Garrison recently. At Nissan Stadium, he was wearing a custom-made replica of a jacket worn in “The Force Awakens,” a film he won't see for another two weeks.

“I got caught up in the whirlwind,” he said with a grin.

He’s not the only one.

“It's like this fraternity-sorority thing,” said Ed Gay, a health care executive from Franklin. “Wherever you go, you have friends.”

He actually has his designer wife, Julie, to thank. They’d dress up as Star Wars characters with their son for Halloween, and in 2009, a female stormtrooper outfit she created “went a little viral.”

Soon, they were both Legion members, and Gay started winning awards at work for all of his charitable efforts with the Legion.

“I never said I was wearing a stormtrooper (suit) while I did it,” he said, laughing.

That passion for charity might be what keeps the lawyers of Disney – which purchased the Star Wars franchise in 2012 – off their backs. Though they invest hundreds (and in some cases, thousands) of dollars into their costumes, the 501st Legion never earns a cent for their appearances.

“If we started doing paying gigs, they would shut us down, for sure,” Hehnen said. “More or less, they love what we do. They

love the charity and community outreach, and honestly, it's free advertising for them.”

Costume changes

Starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, “The Force Awakens” will begin showing around the clock at every major theater in the Nashville area. The Midsouth Garrison will come out in costume to just one of those theaters – Carmike Thoroughbred 20 in Franklin. They didn’t have many options.

In light of theater shootings in Louisiana and Colorado, Regal Cinemas – which operates Nashville’s multiplexes at 100 Oaks, Green Hills, Opry Mills and more – has announced it will not allow moviegoers to wear face-covering masks or carry light sabers, blasters or other fake Star Wars weapons.

“Unfortunately, we aren't going to be able to participate with Regal,” Hehnen said. “Can you imagine Darth Vader without a helmet? I hate that that's the world we live in.”

But can anything truly keep the force of Star Wars down? Skip Curley of Gallatin is one of the Legion’s first members, and has been dressing up for Star Wars movies in Nashville since 2002. He now has a collection of nearly 20 costumes ("My wife reluctantly let me take the entire bonus room, and I filled it.”)

He’s predicting “The Force Awakens” will be the most successful film of all time. While the Legion has remained busy in the 10-year gap between movies, Star Wars has permeated the culture in a huge way this year. This past summer, the Midsouth

Garrison were the unlikely guests of honor at the Portland Strawberry Festival in Portland, Tenn. (population: 11,993)

"I'm from Sumner County, and I never thought Star Wars would fit in right there,” Curley said. “But they made it 'May the Berries Be With Us.' It had a full Star Wars theme, and when we got there, all of the booth (workers) had Star Wars-related berry shirts on, and we were the grand marshals of the parade.”

Contact Dave Paulson at 615-664-2278 or on Twitter at @ItsDavePaulson.

Join the dark side

The 501st Legion is always accepting new members, provided you're 18 or older. Learn more at www.501st.com