STAR WARS, KISS and ELVIS: The Immortal Summer of 77......

Getting an R2-D2 and Darth Vader action figure (by Kenner, I think)

'Star Wars' bubblegum cards - with pink bubblegum. The cards also smelled so good

'KISS' bubblegum cards - with pink bubblegum. The cards also smelled so good

Ace Frehley claimed to have seen 'Star Wars' 100 times (in common KISS publicity by Nov. 77)

'Callin Dr. Love' ... listen and be reminded of that summer.

smell the popcorn in the cinema when you hear: Du, dum, du-du-du, Du dum (John William's theme)

putting C batteries in a $7 plastic lightsaber (an unofficial knock-off product)

'We interrupt this broadcast......' Elvis, 42, suddenly died...

a hot damn day in Memphis. I was there for that unforgettable funeral procession down Elvis Presley Boulevard

I'll never forget that Summer. Never.

25 years.......... where have they gone?

Junior High, High School, then the Navy, the Gulf War, truck driving afterward, now married and raising kids... time passes, but some memories live on. Like the look in Luke's eyes as he stared into the setting suns on Tatooine, dreaming of a life of excitement and adventure. The same look in my eyes as I looked across the fields of ripening wheat that summer, or up into the star-filled night sky, wondering just where these far-off worlds might be. Outside the theater, which was brand new, we sweated in 110+ degree temperatures waiting to buy our tickets, then we went in, bought popcorn and pop, and took seats in the middle of the building. After a wait that seemed like hours, but was really more like ten minutes, the house lights came down, the curtains rolled open, and the projector started, showing previews for movies I had no interest in. And then,

The rolling drums, the crash of cymbals, and the strident notes of the 20th Century Fox fanfare... in simple blue text: A Lucasfilm Ltd production

A long time ago, in a Galaxy far away...

John Williams score slamming us back into our seats, and George Lucas' vision filling our eyes and firing our imaginations. To both, I offer my humble gratitude for giving a 10-year old such a wonderful experience. And memories to last a lifetime.