“I had to see if it was true” is what I said to Nick Meyer as I approached his giant, two story, AT-AT replica standing proud in his front yard.
On October 12th, Cleveland.com reported a man from Parma (a suburb south of the city) with a passion for over-the-top Halloween decorations, built a massive Star Wars themed spread for this year’s edition. Meyer has been known to do this in the past and continues the tradition every fall during the month of October. As I stood on Leulda Avenue watching Nick interact with passers by, who talked to him as if he was now a big time celebrity. But his humbleness revealed a man who is not in it for the likes, or the views, but only to do something that made people happy. A genuine patron of the holiday.
If you didn’t know, the AT-AT’s were introduced during the battle of Hoth scene from Empire Strikes Back, and have been a staple image in the Star Wars Universe. We got to see a young Luke Skywalker along with an under appreciated hero of the film, Dak Ralter (his gunner) bring down one of these vehicles of destruction using only a tow cable and crafty maneuvering. The victory on Hoth of course furthered the momentum of the Rebellion in their quest to defeat the Empire. The most recent trailer for The Last Jedi shows an evolved version of the AT-AT which I’m sure Meyer will do in the future.
And yes… people were stopping by to take pictures.
What’s your favorite awesome Halloween decoration? Let Nerdbot know in the comments!!
