Happy Birthday Steve!

A very happy birthday to our leader, friend, ambassador and mentor. I found a few fun photos of Steve from the last few years. Steve loves Star Wars. He loves you, the fans. He loves sharing Star Wars with you. Thank you Steve!

-Anne

The passing of Charles Lippincott

Today we mourn the passing of Charles Lippincott, whose name is mentioned on every tour of Rancho Obi-Wan because of this banner, which is on display here, and was painted by Joe Johnston and illustrated by Ralph McQuarrie. Charley took this banner with him to San Diego Comic-Con in 1976 to promote a little-known film called Star Wars—and thus gave birth to the modern phenomenon of fan relations for the movie industry.

For Star Wars Corp., Charley was VP of Advertising, Publicity, Promotion & Merchandising and was largely responsible for the Marvel Star Wars comic books and, with 20th Century Fox, the Kenner Products contract that revolutionized toys and helped make George Lucas an independent filmmaker. Charley was generous with his time and gave a long interview to Rancho’s Steve Sansweet for the groundbreaking 1992 book, Star Wars: From Concept to Screen to Collectible. The Force will be with him…always!

May the 4th be with you!

Every day is Star Wars day at Rancho Obi-Wan! We hope you all find joy in immersing yourselves in Star Wars.

Guinness World Records has created a special treat for you today with a 17 minute walk-though of the museum with Steve Sansweet.

And at 2pm PST today Steve Sansweet will show off his “art figure” collection on the Scum & Villainy 24 hour live stream.

From Steve, Anne, and all the docents and volunteers at Rancho Obi-Wan, have a fantastic day!


Star Wars is Forever!

As 2019 falls behind we look forward to an exciting 2020. Inspiration for Star Wars fans worldwide will be abundant next year. We hope to share it with you!

Become a supporting Member of Rancho Obi-Wan or donate any amount by 12/31/2019 in order to receive a tax deductible receipt to file with your 2019 taxes next year. Always consult a tax professional. Become a Member before 12/31/2019

ArcLight Cinerama Dome Los Angeles Exhibit

See The Rise of Skywalker at the ArcLight, 6360 Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. We will have a small exhibit of items through 1/3/2020 representing all previous 8 Skywalker saga films.

Paizo Humble Bundle supports ROW!

Delve into the rich lore of Pathfinder’s Age of Lost Omens campaign setting. Your purchase supports Rancho Obi-Wan. This amazing bundle ends 12/30/2019.  Don’t forget!

Gala 2020 tickets on sale now!

Our fundraising Gala is Saturday, June 13, 2020 with an optional wine tasting on Friday, June 12th, 2020.Join us for a festive Summer BBQ with auctions, door prizes, games, friends, laughter and more! Buy Gala tickets now!

Special Art Auction Coming 1/31/2020

Many talented artists have given their time and energy to decorate a familiar item for ROW to auction.  One of these unique pieces needs a home with you! More information coming in the next weeks, but save the date and sign up for PropStore.com’s newletter to receive news.

San Francisco Giants Star Wars Day 2020 Announced

To celebrate The Rise of Skywalker, The San Francisco Giants announced their Star Wars day early.  There’s all kinds of great gifts and perks!
Purchase your tickets today!

So much news!

Save the date, hints, exhibits and deep dive tours.

Thank you!

On behalf of everyone at Rancho Obi-Wan, THANK YOU for coming to see us at Star Wars Celebration Chicago. It was great to see so many friends and make new ones. Your support there was integral to our continued operation. If you didn’t get to Chicago, we hope to see you at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, August 27-30, 2020 where our exhibit will take you back 40 years to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

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Many thanks!

To everyone who came to see us and support us at The Rancho Obi-Wan Experience booth at Star Wars Celebration Chicago–THANK YOU! Thank you for visiting, for donating, for buying something, for playing Star Wars with Friends, for spinning the wheel, for bringing your friends and family, for smiling and taking photos, for being inspired by Star Wars!

Continue reading “Many thanks!”

Rancho Obi-Wan Coming to Star Wars Celebration Chicago

Rancho Obi-Wan will be bringing an exhibit to Star Wars Celebration Chicago in April! See the full story on StarWars.com!

For more information on Star Wars Celebration see StarWarsCelebration.com.

Current supporting members of Rancho Obi-Wan get a line jump pass! Become a member today and save time at the convention.

A pre-order for merchandise is forthcoming and will be announced here. We hope to see you all there!

Rancho Obi-Wan Gala Huge Success


With a record 205 attendees, Rancho Obi-Wan’s fundraising gala, celebrating 40 years of Star Wars collecting, was a huge success.

Rancho wants to thank all the attendees, volunteers, and absentee bidders who made the Gala an exciting event. In addition, we want to thank our gala sponsors including Entertainment Earth, Pop Minded by Hallmark, Sphero, Funko, Topps, Cartamundi and Kotobukiya. Kudos to donors who contributed everything from original art and prints for the silent and live auctions. Rousing entertainment was provided by DJ Elliot Hansen and MC Mark Daniel.

 

501st Donates $12,410 to Rancho Obi-Wan

The 501st Legion, the 10,000-strong worldwide organization of “bad guys (and girls) doing good” has donated the largest single gift ever to Rancho Obi-Wan, the nonprofit 501(c)(3) museum that houses the Guinness World Records-certified largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia.

In making the donation, which came from fundraising at Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017 and was the same amount contributed to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the 501st said: “Please use the donation to continue spreading the wonder and excitement of the Star Wars universe, the art of collecting and the camaraderie that comes with sharing a passion.”

Rancho Obi-Wan became a nonprofit and started giving tours to the public in November, 2011. It will celebrate its sixth anniversary with a fundraising gala on Nov. 4, 2017.

Rancho’s purpose is to serve the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of Star Wars memorabilia and artifacts, using the collection to provide meaningful educational, aesthetic, intellectual and cultural experiences for a wide array of audiences and to carry out other charitable and educational activities associated with this goal.

Funds raised are used for insurance, utilities, professional services, maintenance on the buildings, and protection and preservation of the collection. None is used to acquire collectibles. Monies raised also enable Rancho Obi-Wan to perform public outreach to schools and other charitable organizations and to support community programs.

“We want to thank the 501st for this surprise and most generous gift, which we’ll use to further our goals and meet some pressing needs,” said Steve Sansweet, chairman, and Anne Neumann, vice president and curator. “The men and women of the 501st have always been huge supporters and volunteers at our events. We are thankful to call so many members friends.”

ROW @ Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017

Rancho Obi-Wan will be exhibiting at Star Wars Celebration Orlando, April 13-16, 2017, booth 2701 near the main entrance to Exhibit Hall B.

To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars, the Rancho exhibit will create a Star Wars bedroom and play area of the era that kids and fans could only dream about. It will be filled with vintage Star Wars memorabilia from all over the world. Come meet owner Steve Sansweet and get his autograph (always free!)
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