For all of you out there who do not visit LUGNET to have already seen this, I wanted to make you were aware of the NWBrickCon happening near Seattle, WA, USA, from Oct. 29-31. The release below explains it all.
If you have questions regarding this event, please contact GaryMcIntire at: ramman99(insertATsignhere)juno.com
Ashley
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LEGO® Fans Host Family Fun Halloween Event at Former SeaTac Mall
LEGO® fans from across the United States and Canada will be hosting a free building exhibition at the newly re-modeled SeaTac Mall on Sunday, Oct. 31, from noon to 6pm.
Hundreds of LEGO models will be on public display, including a spectacular six-foot-tall working roller coaster, a smoking volcano, an eight-foot-long castle display and a train layout the size of a two-car garage.
"This is a great event for families and a unique way to spend your Halloween afternoon," said Gary McIntire, chairman of the third annual NWBrickCon, a three-day convention in which adult fans gather to show off their creations and celebrate their love of LEGO bricks. The public show marks the end of the three-day convention.
"All ages will delight in viewing 'rooms of doom,' a modular haunted house made from LEGO bricks, and will be amazed to see LEGO robots navigating mazes. We'll even have a non-controversial working monorail at our event," chides a smiling McIntire.
Adult fans of LEGO, or "AFOLs" as they call themselves, consist mostly of young professionals who are a blend of serious craftsmen and comedians.
For instance, amidst elaborately crafted buildings and trains, one might find a robotic hotdog or a sheep piloting a spacecraft. It's not all silliness, though.
"Most people are skeptical of us adult enthusiasts at first," McIntire says, "but when they see the size and detail of our creations, and consider the time spent constructing them, their jaws drop."
Wayne Hussey of Federal Way is one such fan who has amazed both children and adults alike. Hussey spent more than a year constructing a 35,000-piece scale model of a ferry now on display at the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Museum in Seattle. Hussey also built an eight-foot-tall replica of the Smith Tower which presently resides in his living room.
"Not all of the fans build large," adds McIntire. "At this year's event we expect to have a large number of creations that are deliberately small. A new trend among many LEGO fans is to attempt to capture as much detail in as small a space as possible. In many cases, items such as castles and cathedrals are built small enough to be held in the palm of your hand."
The Pacific Northwest--it turns out--is a hotbed for LEGO enthusiasts, with six separate LEGO building clubs between Portland and Vancouver, B.C.
"This is our third annual event," reports McIntire, "and is a cooperative event between the Seattle Area LEGO Users group, several LEGO train clubs, a local robotics group and our friends in Vancouver, Canada."
"The past few years the NWBrickCon has been held at the Seattle Center where attendance has been impressive. By moving our event further south to the new Commons at Federal Way, we hope to attract a whole new set of future fans."
For more information on the NWBrickCon, visit NWBrickCon.org or SEALUG.org.
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