Construction took place at the James E. Ward Ag Center last weekend, although no hard hats or safety vests were required as the BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Convention took place at the Wilson County Expo Center.
The event, now in its fifth year, brings LEGO artists, enthusiasts and novices together to celebrate the impact of LEGOs and marvel at dozens of some of the best LEGO creations. The traveling event was also held at the Wilson County Expo Center last April.
“I am very happy to say I am the sole person who has been at every BrickUniverse since its beginning,” said LEGO artist Jonathan Lopes, who noted the event will hold its 50th event by the end of 2020.
Lopes said he believed the event is a success because of its ability to entertain young and older visitors.
“LEGO, obviously, has so much reach. I think very few kids have grown up not knowing what LEGO is. The appeal is just so broad,” Lopes said. “They come here and are inspired and amazed by the exhibits. Then there are pieces that are sophisticated enough to appeal to parents, as well.”
Attendees Bill Fetters and Tom Freeman, both of Lebanon, said they were amazed by the complexities of most of the pieces and the dedication of the artists.
Fetters said his two sons have about eight plastic bins filled with LEGOs, so the family made a point to attend the event.
“They come here and find some inspiration. I find it inspirational, too. It’s pretty cool,” Fetters said.
“When you come here, you don’t feel as bad for all the money you’ve spent on LEGOs with your kids, because you think these guys spent way more time and money and it looks awesome. I’m definitely impressed,” Freeman said.
Some of the pieces displayed at the event ranged from replicas of U.S. cities, national and global landmarks to original pieces created from the artist’s mind. Some pieces took as long as 800 hours to complete.
“I can’t find the time between my job and my kids to sit down and do some of this stuff. More power to them. It’s amazing that people can focus and be able to get through some of these,” Fetters said.
“It’s really cool to see what they are able to create. I’m really glad we were able to come here,” Freeman said.
The men said some of their favorite pieces were related to Star Wars and original pieces from various artists.
“We try to reach everybody we can and I think we’ve done a great job here at BrickUniverse,” Lopes said.
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