Our top-notch investigative reporting takes you inside the Edwards Mira Mesa Stadium 18 theater to unveil the myth of the Star Wars campers.

As we left our restaurant with burgers in our bellies, Mary said she'd heard a rumor that people were camping out at Edwards to catch Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.  I had never seen real Star Wars campers before, so my first instinct was to spy on them.  We meandered around the front patio a bit before noticing a fair-sized group of people seated inside, a couple of them with light sabers.

After a brief hem and haw, we decided it was worth our while to go talk to these folks about the joys and trials of the camp.  We approached the guy closest to the door and asked if we could trouble him with some questions.  What I really wanted to know was whether Edwards let them sleep in the lobby, and if not, what the system was for resuming your place in line each day.  He informed us that they didn't sleep in the lobby, and in fact, they weren't doing what we suspected.

These "campers" paid out-of-pocket to purchase all of the tickets in one of the theaters on opening night - $15 per seat for 300 seats, for a total of $4,500.  This is part of a fund-raiser for Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to easing the lives of sick children and their families.  The way the funds are raised is that they are all sponsored by friends and relatives.  They earn more money the longer they wait, and all of the proceeds of the wait-a-thon go to the Foundation.

As if it isn't enough that they get to do some good deeds, they also get to wear Star Wars costumes and wield sabers in public with an air of legitimacy.  The whole things seems excellent.