SAN ANSELMO Star Wars Statues Honor Local Resident, George Lucas

San Anselmo's George Lucas Park
535 San Anselmo Ave.
San Anselmo, CA
townofsananselmo.org

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. -- When San Anselmo filmmaker George Lucas sold Lucas Films to Disney for over $4 billion in 2012, he gave a gift to his hometown -- a 8,700-square-foot park with statues of fictional movie characters that made him a wealthy man, Yoda and Indiana Jones. With hopes that the park will open by summer 2013 for America's Cup, an old commercial buildings on San Anselmo Avenue is being cleared away and landscaping and sculpture installations are in the works.

Similar to the Yoda fountain that flows freely in front of the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco (where Lucas operations have been since 2005,) the new park's centerpiece is a circular fountain with two bronze statues standing approx. 15' in diameter. The statues are certain to become a tourist attraction. The Star Wars craze which began in 1977 and is still going strong, featured (in the 2nd and 3rd movies) Yoda, a 2-foot-tall Jedi Master, the most powerful in galactic history.

535, 539 and 541 San Anselmo Ave., circa 2011

Indiana Jones came on the scene in 1981 when swash-buckling Harrison Ford played the role of an archaeologist in the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, produced by Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg. Spin-off games, merchandise, and numerous movies throughout the 40+ year Lucasfilm Ltd. operations made George Lucas not only one of the world's richest men, but also one of the most recognized for contributions and achievements in computer special effects and film production.

Other fun events in the Town of San Anselmo include the annual Tree Lighting ceremony.