“May the 4th be with you,” according to StarWars.com. started as a “pun warmly shared by fans” and has become a “full-fledged Star Wars holiday: Star Wars Day, a special once-a-year celebration of the galaxy far, far away.” For those not familiar with the franchise, the pun is based on “May the force be with you” which per Wookipedia is “a phrase used to wish an individual or group good luck or good will.” Star Wars Day is being celebrated locally with Star Wars Night at Friday’s Mariners Game, at the Alderwood Lego Store, and most importantly, at the Edmonds Library. Star Wars day also falls in proximity to Free Comic Book Day, the first Saturday in May, which is on May 5 this year.

On Friday, May 4, from 3 to 7 p.m., you can head to the Edmonds Library for a Star Wars Day Celebration. At 4 p.m. they will be screening The Last Jedi (PG-13), which is the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise. There will also be a green screen photo booth, snacks and other activities. Costumes are strongly encouraged for those in attendance and seeing as how the Rebel Alliance and 501st Legion (you may recognize them from the 4th of July parade) will be there, you won’t be the only one dressed up! To find out more about this all-ages event, you can call the library at 425-771-1933 or visiting their events page HERE.

The Lego Store at the Alderwood Mall is celebrating Star Wars day from May 4-6. While the Lego Store is fun even if you are just browsing, most of the ways to celebrate require pre-registration and are full or involve a purchase. If you are in the market for some Legos, purchases of $75 and more come with an exclusive Lego gift.

Free Comic Book Day falls on Saturday, May 5 this year and there are a few local options to get what you’re looking for this year. My favorite local comic book store is Phantom Zone Comics in Lynnwood, 16825 48th Ave. W., Ste 137, down the street from Meadowdale High. I’ve always had great service and also a lot of help picking the right kind of comics for either my kids or those we were buying a present for. They will not only have over 25 different free titles, but they are also have a sale in their store, with everything being Buy One Get One 50 percent off. They suggest arriving early to make sure that your free title is still available. You can get more info by visiting their Facebook events page HERE.

Subspace Comics in Lynnwood, next to the Regal Cinemas, will also celebrate Free Comic Book Day. They are also having a sale on different in-store items from graphic novels to t-shirts and will have the sale throughout the weekend. On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., they will have “great local artist” for you to meet in person! For more on their Free Comic Book Day celebration, you can visit their Facebook events page HERE.

Another local option for comics books involving free titles is A World of Collections: Games, Comics & Cards on Highway 99 by Ranch Market. If you have a Pokemon-obsessed kid, you have likely been to this store as they have everything from a box of lower-end cards up to the promo packs and spendier individual cards. You can find out more info on A World of Collections on their Facebook page.

While this weekend is chock full of comic books and Star Wars talk, it is actually an incredibly busy weekend full of fun, local and mostly FREE events in Edmonds.

Friday, May 4 is Archaeology at Night: An After-Hours Exploration of Local Archaeology at the Edmonds Historical Museum, 118 5th Ave. N. This FREE event is for adults and kids alike to “mingle with seven local archaeologists and learn about projects and artifacts. Attendees are encouraged to bring up to two items for identification. The Edmonds Historical Museum is a great place to stop by, just to see the architecture and step into a building we waltz right past while at the market or heading to the skatepark at Civic Field. For more information on Archaeology at Night, you can visit the Museum’s Facebook events page HERE.

Saturday, May 5 is the first day of the Edmonds Museum Garden Market, which runs until June 9. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the intersection of 5th and Bell, you can visit the Garden Market and get handmade or “home grown in Washington” food, art and flowers. The current forecast for Saturday is partly sunny with a high of 65, so the weather is definitely cooperating.

The Watershed Fun Fair is going on this Saturday, May 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Willow Creek Salmon Hatchery. This event has “exhibits, games, nature crafts and activities especially for kids including fish feeding, face painting, exhibits and demonstrations on recycling, stormwater, creating wildlife habitat, rain gardens, tours of the native plant garden and fish hatchery and more.” Plus, the first 50 people to arrive get a free potted native plant and kids get to take home a plant-able prize of their own. At 12:30 p.m., kids can catch an edu-tainment puppet show that features songs and stories. For more information on this event, you can contact Jennifer Leach, the City of Edmonds’ Environmental Education & Sustainability Coordinator, at 425-771-0227.

As if Saturday didn’t have enough options, the Edmonds Floretum Garden Club scholarship plant sale and boutique of garden-related items is also on Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to noon at the United Methodist Church on Caspers. The club recommends you get there early for the best selection of their wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs. Club members will also be on hand to answer your garden-related questions, which to me is the most exciting part! All proceeds will benefit the club’s scholarship fund awarded yearly to local community college horticultural students. You can find more information on the event and scholarship at www.edmondsfloretumgardenclub.org.

— By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, a mom of two young boys, is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time. You can find her on Twitter trying to make sense of begging kids to ”just eat the mac n cheese”