'May the Fourth be with you' is Star Wars theme this weekend for Mud Hens

Jersey to be worn by Toledo Mud Hens this weekend, to look like a "Chewbacca" from the Star Wars movies.

“The Force is strong with this one,” Darth Vader famously said of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, and the Mud Hens hope that special uniforms will help them tap into the Force -- and perhaps a pair of wins -- this weekend.

The Hens will wear special “Chewbacca” uniforms fashioned to look like the 7-foot tall Wookiee of Star Wars fame in games Saturday and Sunday. Toledo will host Charlotte at Fifth Third Field Saturday starting at 7 p.m. and Sunday beginning at 2 p.m.

The Saturday, May 4, contest is billed as “May the Fourth be with you” – get it? – and on May 5 Toledo will host, “Revenge of the Fifth.”

The Chewbacca uniforms have generated notoriety from a variety of social media sources, starting with a posting on the popular video game site Kotaku on Friday. Since that time, the Hens have fielded calls from a variety of interested parties, including ESPN fantasy guru Matthew Berry, MLB Network and others.

The Mud Hens will auction half of the uniforms Saturday and the rest Sunday. Proceeds from Saturday’s auction will go to Read for Literacy, while Sunday’s proceeds will benefit the Spina Bifida Association of Northwest Ohio.

Other Star Wars-themed activities this weekend will include appearances by Star Wars characters, face painting, Star Wars-themed food and beverages, as well as a kazoo giveaway that will lead to fans joining together to play the Star Wars theme on their kazoos.

There also will be fireworks with a Star Wars theme following Saturday’s game.