In a display fitting of the beloved creator of “The Heroes of Olympus” series, Rick Riordan entered the Village Green at Oso Viejo Park Saturday atop a chariot pulled by four burly Roman guards with 3,500 fans wildly cheering him on.
The “Bunker Nine” stage designed by Saddleback College students set the backdrop for Riordan’s rousing talk to the crowd of mainly 9 to 13-year-old fans.
Riordan is the author of the “Percy Jackson & the Olympians series”; “the Kane Chronicles”; and “The Heroes of Olympus.” In his only California stop, Riordan was in Mission Viejo to promote “The Son of Neptune,” the second book in “The Heroes of Olympus” series. Many fans came dressed as their favorite “demigod” or in togas to the colorful event.
Mission Viejo resident Evan Geiger, 10, said he was excited to see Riordan arrive in a chariot and hear the author’s story of how he became a published author.
Riordan, a former school teacher fielded questions about his fictional characters, how they got their names and his plans for his next series of books. The event attracted people from Oklahoma, Arizona, San Francisco and many other states around the country eager to see their favorite author up close and personal. A group of teens from Carlsbad said they liked how the charismatic author interacted with the audience.
“He was funny and we liked how he encouraged young writers to write … the crafts were awesome too,” one teen said.
Irvine resident Grant Goacher, 11, said his favorite part was getting to meet Riordan in person and having him sign his newly released book. Gina Schumann agreed.
“I’m so proud to be a Mission Viejo resident,” said Schumann, who brought her 11-year-old son Eric for the fun-filled festivities. “This was a great event and very well organized. My son is very happy!”
Another amazing event put on by Mission viejo!! I am also proud to be a resident here. I met people that had come from other states and they were so impressed with our city. I know why we were picked as one of the only 7 cities Rick Riordan would stop at in North America during his book tour. The volunteers it took to pull this off were amazing. THank you to everyone that helped. My 3 children enjoyed the day so much, the crafts and booths were such a wonderful idea to help the time go by as the kids waited for the author to arrive and then sign their books. It couldn’t have been a more enjoyable time!!! Thank you Mission Viejo!
I WISH I WAS THERE! That sounds like fun…