“Warning: the force is strong in the library today,” read the sign taped to the front door.

Inside, just beyond a life-size Darth Vader cutout, at least three mini Vaders fought off various Imperial enemies with their red lightsabers.

Once the musical duo, guitarist Nate Bogopolsky and double bass player Geoff Larson of the Bushwick Book Club, began playing the Imperial March and other force-inspired songs, the Vaders and other lightsaber-wielding Jedi deactivated their weapons and sat down.

Around 300 people, children dressed as their favorite Star Wars characters with parents watching nearby, passed through the Sammamish Library for the Star Wars Reads event Saturday afternoon, according to librarian Sara Jensen.

This is the fourth time the Sammamish Library participated in the annual event, which Lucasfilm founded in 2012 to encourage literacy among all ages through the promotion and celebration of the Star Wars galaxy, written about in new and old Star Wars books.

Thousands of events, with Star Wars-themed crafts and hands-on activities similar to those at the Sammamish Library, took place around the globe, according to the official Star Wars website.

The chance to dress up Saturday was an opportunity for Andrew Almaguer-Bay, 8, and his younger sister, Elena, to try out their Halloween costumes.

Andrew Almaguer-Bay proudly dressed as the Mandalorian bounty hunter, Boba Fett.

Elena Almaguer-Bay, 6, stood tall as Padme Amidala, in her red, regal gown, complete with a plastic headdress.

The two took part in various crafts while their parents looked on. The Almaguer-Bay family has lived in Sammamish for five years.

Along with entertainment from the Bushwick Book Club, the Sammamish Library also partnered with the Sammamish Arts Commission to present reading experts from Ian Doescher’s series “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” books.

The event was funded by the Friends of the Sammamish Library.

For more information on the Star Wars Reads event, visit www.starwars.com.