As kids and adults alike entered Columbia County’s Library, many were expecting to find new library books for checkout, but instead, they were surprised and delighted to see enormous LEGO displays of colorful and moving creations.
On Saturday, the group South Carolina Bricks presented the CSRA Brick Con in Evans to allow builders to show off their impressive displays from moving trains to cities, pirate ships and even a Waffle House.
As hundreds of kids became star struck with high-level builds throughout the day, they asked builders about their hobby.
A fan favorite among adults was the unexpected Waffle House, while children were mesmerized by a giant medieval castle with knights or an amusement park featuring battery-operated rides like a Ferris wheel, swings and rollercoaster.
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“People are always surprised by the Waffle House. They always stop and say, ‘That’s so cool,'” said participating craftsman, Andrew Heape. “I’ve been building for 32 years. I grew up with this stuff.”
Heape also said he believed his passion for LEGO had a substantial effect on his life and sparked his love for teaching others.
“This honestly is what kept me out of trouble. I was never into drinking or smoking because of this. I never went to parties or got into trouble because I was home playing with these, and now I even teach others how to do it,” he said.
Heape said he enjoyed seeing the wonder on children’s faces when viewing the displays and believes anyone can build.
“I hate when people say, ‘Oh, I can’t do that’ or ‘Oh, that takes too long’ because it’s not true. Anything worthwhile takes time, and if you love it, you’ll put time towards it,” Heape said. He shared his hope for his LEGO creations to spark inspiration and interest in spectators.
“The definition of art is creating and expressing with any medium, LEGO is a medium. This is a form of art,” he said. “I want kids to see this and know that they can do it, too. I want them to know they can do it better too.”
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Fellow builder Seth Blande said he recently got back into LEGO after retiring and thoroughly enjoys putting his mind towards creating unique ideas and making them come to life.
Similarly to Blande, Marcy Griffin said it was her first year showing her LEGO builds and was thrilled to see the turn-out. Griffin said she started creating displays as a coping method for her anxiety and stress.
“After my kids and grandkids all moved out of state, I had so much anxiety about them, and I used to build with my granddaughter. I just kept doing it and found it really helped me as a distraction from my anxiety, and it gave me something to do,” she said. “Now I get on FaceTime with my granddaughter, and we’ll build together.”
Griffin participates in weekly LEGO challenges to push her mind in different ways and force her to grow as a creator. She also said LEGO encourages children to develop their creativity and can even help relationships develop through healthy interaction.
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Mother of a LEGO fanatic family, Amanda Williamson, said her boys were crazy about their blocks and bricks. “This has been on our calendar for months. We vacationed to LEGOLAND two weeks ago,” she said. “Building allows for them use their problem solving skills and creativity, they love making their own things and taking the [LEGO bricks] apart.”
Williamson’s two boys said their favorite part on the Brick Con was playing with the blocks and building things after seeing the impressive creations. She believes LEGO pushes children to develop their science skills by introducing them to physics and even the basics to robotics.
“It forces them to apply physics because they have to figure out how to build something and then make it structurally stable by trying different things,” she said.
Meanwhile, a few of participating creators admitted they first began their building journey during the pandemic.
“I was bored at home like everyone else and remembered that I had some LEGO stuff from my childhood, so I decided to see what I had, and then the obsession just grew from there. I’m still new at it though and feel like Im’m playing catch up,” said Kipp Hoffman, builder of the kid-favorite amusement park.
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Patrick Steinkuhl, participating creator and father of two, said he became interested in LEGO blocks when playing with his two young boys.
“During the pandemic, we were stuck at home, and I started playing with my boys, and it got me really interested. I saw online people were making these crazy things, and it just sort of took over from there,” he said.
Steinkuhl admitted it was interesting to be an adult playing with a toy intended for children.
“It’s funny because you’re in their world and playing with things meant for them, but I enjoy it a lot. My boys are four and six so they still play with the little LEGO guys, but it’s great to build things for them so they can tell a story,” Steinkuhl said.
Steinkuhl said his favorite part of being a LEGO constructor was knowing every creation tells a little bit of a story.
“It’s fun watching the kids look at the displays and finding the little jokes we [creators] put in them. The adults sort of just glance at them but the kids really look at everything, and then when they understand the hidden joke, they point it out to the adults,” he said.
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Hoffman said his favorite part was having the ability to create things he sees or dreams of.
“Sometimes I’ll be driving and see a cool building or something, and then I pull over and think, ‘How can I make this with LEGO’ or I’ll dream something and later want to make it,” he said. “I even keep a little journal next to me, so when I wake up in the middle of the night I can write down that idea and try to build it a different day.”
Evidenced by many parents purchasing LEGO bricks from the convention, after seeing various impressive displays, several children were interested in learning more about LEGO and left the library with a renewed passion for their toys.
Hoffman and Griffin hope the CSRA Brick Con will become an annual tradition since so many seemed to enjoy the event.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com)
