Home to the world's largest Star Wars collection
Event coverage from yesterday, today & tomorrow – The fanfare through our eyes.
Join Rancho Obi-Wan for a party, a convention, an exhibit, or an outing. Photos and videos from past Star Wars Celebrations, Rancho Obi-Wan Galas and more. As we prepare for future events we will bring you along on the journey. As we find photos from events past we’ll be sure to share.
We took a deep dive into the loft area during our Rancho Obi-Wan Virtual Fundraiser Gala in 2021, and discovered rare Star Wars Billboard sheets from 1977!
There were 24 sheets with the date of 11/18/77 and we handled each with great care.
Watch the time lapse video of our team putting together this beautiful piece of Star Wars history!
Continue reading “Watch Time Lapse Video of Rare Star Wars Billboard Sheets Put Together!”
Join us here on the Virtual Museum to celebrate our 10th anniversary! Make sure you have a current subscription to the Virtual Museum in order to view the video stream.
This year we’re going to spend a lot of time inside the museum showing you some of our favorite things. We’ll also show some typical behind-the-scenes projects.
Have a question? This week, please Tweet @RanchoObiWan your question using #askROW for a chance to have your question answered by the Rancho Obi-Wan team.
And let’s do a “reverse” scavenger hunt! Can Steve find it? This week, please Tweet @RanchoObiWan an item you would like Steve to find in the museum using #ScoutingWithSteve
There will be no auction this year, but we will have some merchandise available via CustomInk through November 1st.
Finally, this is a fundraiser and we really appreciate your help.
There are many ways to support us:
We’re super excited to share the museum with you. See you soon!
Happy day everyone. There’s a lot going on, but find an hour or two to watch our Facebook Lives from last year celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. If you like these videos, get much more by signing up for our Virtual Museum–only $10/month!
Originally posted August 31, 2020
Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2020 was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Rancho Obi-Wan Experience booth was to exhibit a selection of items celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Conceptualized by our docents, Dan Norgan and Michelle Norgan, it would have taken you on a journey from concept to screen to collectible. Here is part 1 & part 2 of a Facebook Live showcasing many of the items that would have been on exhibit, plus others we would not have been able to bring. In addition, in part 1, take a tour through our bedroom exhibit that was installed at Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017. In part 2, take a rare view of one of our back storage isles.
Produced by Mark Rusciano
Support by Consetta Parker
Part 1:
Part 2:
In 2017 a traveling exhibit produced by STAGE 9 featured toys of all kinds. Of course, Star Wars was a major focus.
Continue reading “Happenings: Toytopia Traveling Exhibit”
In 2013, the Rocky Mountain Chapter of JDRF partnered with Rancho Obi-Wan and Wagner Power Equipment to create the ultimate Star Wars fan fly-away Experience as part of their live fundraising auction.
The Experience raised over $7,000 for the local JDRF chapter. The trip included a private jet flight form Denver to San Francisco, two nights stay in Petaluma, and a membership to Rancho Obi Wan, along with a private, personalized tour. Scott Magerfleisch, a Rocky Mountain JDRF Board member and Type 1 diabetic since 1986, along with his wife Melissa, coordinated with members of the 501st Legion Golden Gate Garrison, and met the winning family at Rancho Obi-Wan for this once in a lifetime Experience. The private tour included all the stops within Rancho Obi-Wan, along with some special photo ops with members of the 501st Legion along the way.
This post is dedicated to Melissa Magerfleisch who passed a year ago today, March 9, 2020. She was a friend of Rancho Obi-Wan–a loving, giving, selfless person and we miss her. These are the charities that were important to Melissa, please support them in her memory, if you can:
Many baseball teams do Star Wars events all around the world (we have plenty of collctibles to prove it), but of all the teams, who better than the San Francisco Giants? After all, George Lucas himself is a California native which has resulted in the Bay Area being a hub for Star Wars. ILM is located in San Francisco, much of the Endor footage was shot in Northern California’s majestic redwoods, and of course Skywalker Ranch is just a short drive from our museum in Petaluma, so when the Giants host a Star Wars day, you know it’s going to be a good day.
Continue reading “Happenings: Star Wars Day with the San Francisco Giants”
On May the 4th, 2013 Rancho Obi-Wan had a table at the San Francisco based Super 7 store. Super 7 is lead by our friend Brian Flynn and at that time was a small store in The Haight. “May the 4th” was just gaining traction as an unofficial “Star Wars Day” driven by fans. It wouldn’t be until several years later that the media and Lucasfilm would jump on board.
The first Silicon Valley Comic Con (now SiliCon with Adam Savage) was March 18–20, 2016 in San Jose, California. Rancho Obi-Wan had an exhibit of almost 300 items featuring electronics and computers, favorite toys and, as always, fan art.
Read more of the story and browse the photos below.
Continue reading “Happenings: Silicon Valley Comic Con 2016”
In 2010, the first version of Rancho Obi-Wan closed down for renovations and expansion. It had been in existence—with constant changes and additions—since 1999 when the first former chicken barn on the property had been converted into a very nice warehouse for my burgeoning Star Wars collection. The changes and enlargement, which would take over a year to accomplish, would be quite dramatic. And to commemorate the rebirth and reopening of Rancho Obi-Wan and its conversion into a nonprofit museum with scheduled tours, something grand was called for.
Continue reading “Happenings: The Grand-Reopening of Rancho Obi-Wan 2011”
Even the smallest of comic conventions, hobby expos, toy shows, and fan fests can make for a fun family outing. I remember a small convention called Fan Days that took place in the Plano Event Center in Texas. That convention grew to become the massive Dallas Comic Con that eventually merged with Canada’s Fan Expo. Petaluma’s Hobby Expo has a focus on modeling, but also includes toys, other hobbies, and celebrities.