Hear Philly: Festival In Montgomery County Built Around LEGOS
By Andrew Kramer
OAKS, Pa. (CBS) --- We all played with them when we were younger, and it's hard not to still enjoy them today. We're of course talking about LEGOS, and on April 26th and 27th, they'll be taking center stage at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa.
The event is called Philly Brick Fest. The festival's founder, Chad Collins, says it's the ultimate LEGO fan experience for people of all ages:
"Families can come and enjoy and see amazing creations built by local LEGO user groups. They can also enjoy some interactive activities like build a car and race it down a 30-foot-long derby ramp, or collaborate and build a Liberty Bell or LOVE Park statue and also enjoy some shopping with dozens of vendor tables."
Collins started a LEGO YouTube channel eight years ago that now has over eight-million views. He says that's what led to them creating this event:
"We looked to go to some events and there didn't happen to be any in our area. Based on the network we had built through our YouTube channel, we were able to set something up here in Philadelphia and figured if there's not one here, let's build one."
Throughout the two-day event, many LEGO-related events will be taking place, as Collins points out:
"On Saturday, we have someone from the LEGO group that's going to be answering questions from fans. And on Sunday, we have someone from DK Publishing that is launching their book tour for a new Star Wars visual LEGO dictionary guide that's coming out. You'll be able to do a Q&A with him as well."
Kids will able to free-play with thousands of bricks, and, of course, one of the highlights of the weekend is seeing all the amazing LEGO creations built by local artists.
"Some examples are large space layouts -- ranging from classic space to some of the more modern Star Wars creations," says Collins. "Also, there will be a 30 x 80 foot town layout with moving trains and buildings that make a LEGO city come to life."
While all are amazing sights to see, Collins says he has one personal favorite:
"One of them that's going to be there is a replica of the Please Touch Museum, so a lot of members in attendance are going to have been to the Please Touch Museum and now they'll be able to see it in LEGO form."
Collins adds that seeing all these LEGO creations is both fun and inspiring, but it is also serves an educational purpose:
"We have one group coming called Teach Fleet where there are literally hundreds of custom-built LEGO ships, each with it's own historical meanings that's named after someone important. In addition, there are groups like Bricks 4 Kidz that are going to be there that teaches the educational benefits of LEGO."
Philly Brick Fest runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days.
For more information, you can visit the event's website or find them on Facebook or Twitter.
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Philly Brick Fest
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