LEGO event helps families build memories at Monroeville Convention Center

Interactive activities, special guests and displays as big as an elephant helped thousands of families create lasting memories at the Monroeville Convention Center.

Brick Fest Live, the nation’s largest fan-created LEGO show took place earlier this month.

“I like playing with them,” said Arianna Collins, 8, of Baldwin. The young builder even wore a shirt depicting various colored blocks to the two-day event at 209 Mall Plaza Blvd.

She and her parents, Shannon and Jeff, were among the many who pieced together a giant jigsaw puzzle made of more than 100,000 pieces and stretching more than 36 feet.

It featured LEGO images of Superman, Green Lantern and other DC super heroes.

April Kefalas made the hour-and-a half trip from Warren, Ohio, to Monroeville with her family for their love of LEGOs.

“I think it’s a lot of fun how interactive it can be,” she said. “I really like the fact that we got to take part in this really cool mosaic that they’re doing. I don’t know how they did it, but it looks great.”

The Kefalas have several collections of the building blocks at home.

“You can build something cool with them and I can build a dragon,” said Kefalas’ son, Dimitri, 5.

Some of the larger displays were of elephants, dolphins, beavers and lighthouses.

Plum couple Harrison and Kelly Smith said they really admired the craftsmanship.

“It’s amazing what people can do with the LEGOs,” Harrison Smith said. “I can barely connect the blocks. I think it’s a great things for families to do if you’re looking for something to see what people can do with creativity. I definitely recommend it.”

Local groups such as the Steel City Lugs showcased their talents.

Some of its displays featured images of Pac-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the city’s landscape, including the incline, as well as movies such as “Star Wars,” “A Christmas Story” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Lugs have members from several Western Pennsylvania communities and as far as Syracuse, New York.

Jason Middaugh joined the team following a Brick Fest Live event in Philadelphia a couple of years ago.

He is pushing to have the group’s take on “It’s a Wonderful Life” become an official set through LEGO Ideas, a website where builders can submit their creations to the world-wide company in honor of its 75th anniversary.

“Jimmy Stewart’s from Indiana, Pa.,” said Middaugh, 45, of Syracuse. “We were just at the Jimmy Stewart Museum yesterday dropping off a copy of our set for their permanent display. It’s kind of neat.

“We got to come down here (in Monroeville) and meet folks who are a part of this whole community and try to rally support to maybe make an official LEGO figure out of someone from the Pittsburgh area … What I like about (Lugs) is it’s completely open. Any type of build anybody wants to do. Anybody who has a passion for LEGOs. It doesn’t matter where you live. It doesn’t matter what you build. If you like it, they’ll welcome you in, which I think is really cool.”

Middaugh said the best part about building is spending time with his daughter, Jane, 12.

Jordan Carr, 25, of Mt. Lebanon joined Steel City Lugs several weeks ago.

The 2018 University of Pittsburgh grad said it took him a year to make a 5-foot-tall recreation of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

“This is my first time displaying anything at any event,” Carr said. “I’ve just been blown away the number of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ that all of our stuff’s been getting. It’s been hugely gratifying to me. I just wanted to share my piece with the world. It’s not like you just have to do buildings or space or whatever. It’s whatever you want it to be. You can make it art. You can make it transform. It allows any interest that you want to be expressed in the same type of way.”

Steel City Lugs also has a display at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. More information about the Pittsburgh area’s adult LEGO users club is available at steelcitylug.com.

Brick Fest participants had an opportunity to buy sets that were not in stores, and also meet contestants from FOX’s “Lego Masters” reality TV show. Masks were recommended but not mandated.

Founder Chad Collins called the weekend a success.

“We were excited to bring back Brick Fest Live after our 572-day hiatus in our home state of Pennsylvania.” he said. “We welcomed nearly 8,000 attendees who were able to see our brand new stage show, life-size sculptures, and meet celebrities from ‘Lego Masters’ for the first time. We are looking forward to bringing Brick Fest Live to Pittsburgh in the fall of 2022.”