LEGO building competition enters sixth year
Builders of all ages have been working on their masterpieces for months, as the Veterans Memorial Library will be hosting the 6th annual Chippewa River District LEGO Building Competition next month.
The number of contestants has nearly doubled since the first event, with 60 participants initially and now more than 100 entries last year.
With a build deadline of Feb. 27, judges will begin picking their favorite creations at 1 p.m. The award ceremony will be open to the public at 5 p.m., and prizes will be given to the winners soon after.
Some of the prizes include gift certificates, building kits and books about LEGO. The money for these prizes is provided by McGuirk Sand and Gravel.
Robert Wang, the library's marketing and communications manager, said he was concerned about the amount of people who would show up for the first contest held in 2008.
"We had to cross our fingers," he said. "The first year response was incredible and it just keeps growing."
Children in grades 3 through 5 and 6 through 8 represent the largest amount of participants. Some couldn't wait to get started on their next project, Wang said.
"As soon as last year's contest ended, some kids immediately started building for this year," he said.
Wang said even though the final projects will be judged inside the Veterans Memorial Library, 301 S. University Ave., there has been an extensive amount of advertising in the five other libraries that make up the Chippewa River District.
Promotion of the event wasn't only in the local libraries; it extended all the way to the residence hall rooms of the towers. Wang presented information about the competition to residence hall directors, which included contest information and a chance to win a floor-wide pizza party.
The event is free to anyone who wants to participate and the only requirement is one member of your team has a working library card.
