Crowds show up in Kahnawake for Star Wars Day at collectibles expo

It is Star Wars Day, and May the Fourth be with you.

Across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal, Darth Vader, some storm troopers, Luigi and Mario rubbed shoulders with vendors and collectors that the massive K-Town Collectables Expo at the Kahnawake Sports Complex for the annual day celebrating all things Star Wars and all things nerd.

The show has grown from humble origins to become one of the largest toy, card and collectibles shows in Quebec.

"It's fun," said nine-year-old collector Tommy Marquis. "You can look the things that people have and also get to know people too."

Marquis said he likes coming to comic-cons alongside his father Teiowí:sonte Thomas Deer, who has illustrated comics for years including Star Wars, G.I. Joe and Transformers.

For Deer, the appeal of the Kahnawake expo in his Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) community is in its accessibility.

"First of all, it's affordable," said Deer. "If you go to Montreal Comic-con, yeah, it's a great show, but there's so much of an emphasis on guest stars and movie-related items. This kind of goes back to basics, where you have people that are generally interested in comic books and collectibles. It's just so much more accessible that a show like Montreal Comic-con is."

Teiowí:sonte Thomas Deer sells some of his work at the K-Town Collectables Expo in Kahnawake on May 4, 2024. (Daniel J. Rowe, CTV News)

Entry to the two-day show is $5. Organizer Will Rice said 2024 is the biggest show to to date with 108 vendors hawking wares at over 200 tables.

The first show in 2017 had 20 vendors with 40 tables.

"I was shocked at how many people," said Rice. "The smiles, the handshakes, people telling me how great this is for our community."

The K-Town Collectibles Expo in Kahnawake, Que. has grown from humble roots to become one of the biggest toy and collectible expos in Quebec. (Daniel J. Rowe, CTV News)

The show attracts collectors from both sides of the river surrounding the community. Part of the joy for some is meeing like-minded people looking for a light saber, video game or collector card.

"It's a fun day," said vendor Dave Hall. "I just had a 20-minute conversation with someone who's going to have children soon and my kids are a bit older so I kind of gave him a realistic preview of that. Collectors, we all gather and it doesn't always have to be about the collectibles."