One film to rule them all...

...two hosts to find them...

...one stage to bring them all and in the darkness bind them!

The Two Towers Midwestern Premiere Party!

On Wednesday, December 18, 2002, Midwestern Ringers gathered from far and wide at the Lorraine Theater in Hoopeston, Ill., to view the second installment of Peter Jackson's celebrated Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers.

The party and costume contest were supplied with great prizes by generous sponsors including Badali Jewelry, makers of The One Ring, TheOneRing.net, the largest Tolkien fan site on the web, Wal-Mart, and various local Champaign-Urbana, Ill., businesses including G-Mart Comics of Champaign, The Dragon's Table, and The Other Realm.

The highlight of the evening (other than the movie, of course!) was our highly colorful costume contest. To see our terrific winners and their imaginative costumes, click here!

The theater was full, the popcorn was hot, the costumes ranged from the charming to the elegant to the fantastic, and the movie ... well, the movie blew it all away. For pictures of all the fun, click below! For a larger version of any picture in the galleries or above, click on the picture.

All photos courtesy of Larry Vaught and his digital camera!

Click here for pics and info from 2001's Fellowship party!