Brickfiesta Article in the Houston Chronicle
Brick Fiesta Customer Support
Adult fans of Lego, those tiny interlocking colorful plastic building bricks, will display their personal model creations during a public exhibition planned as part of Brick Fiesta 2012, a convention dedicated to the popular toy line to be held at the Westin Galleria Houston hotel in July.
Frank Brown, 40, who lives near Interstate 10 and Kirkwood, will be among hobbyists displaying their personal Lego-made models during the convention's two-day public exhibition July 7-8.
Brown has collected Lego for as long as he can remember. His childhood Christmas lists to Santa Claus, he said, pretty much consisted of every Lego set in existence.
"I wasn't picky," he said. "I just wanted Lego."
Brown became less interested in Lego during his teen years, but he still would sneak glances at the sets in toy isles while out shopping for other things.
"I really got back into Lego when I was about 30," he said.
At the time, Brown had just moved back to Houston and was staying with his mother while he went back to college. One day he was looking for something to do around his mother's house and found some of his Lego toys from childhood. The sets were missing building instructions; so he went online and discovered a worldwide community of people buying and selling Lego. About 10 years ago, he became an online Lego dealer. And, nearly two years ago, he was inspired to start building his own Lego creations.
"The ability to create something unique with a handful of bricks is amazing," he said. "If you were to give the same 20 pieces of Lego to 100 different people, you will have 100 unique models. The limitless ability to 'play' with Lego is what makes it the most amazing toy ever. Models can be very basic all the way to monstrously detailed works of art."
Brown, a project manager for a turbine-power field services company, is proud to be an adult fan of the toy.
"All of my family, co-workers and friends know that I am an avid Lego enthusiast," he said. "At work we have a Danish engineer who I can engage in Lego conversations with. I play ice hockey and my teammates seem to think that it is interesting. I used to manage a neighborhood bar, and many times I brought Lego into the bar to have friends there help me sort bricks out. If anyone ever thinks it is silly that I play with Lego, I just show them some of the more amazing creations adults have built, and it changes their mind immediately."
He hopes to inspire others with his own Lego creations during the public exhibition at the hotel, 5060 West Alabama St. The convention, Brown said, provides Lego collectors an opportunity to gather new building techniques.
Public hours for the exhibition portion of the convention are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 7 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 8.
Single-day and two-day general admission and family passes to the exhibition are available for purchase online at BrickFiesta.com.
Single-day prices for the public portion of the event are $10, or $20 for a family pass for two adults and two children. Those under 6 are free.
Two-day passes are $15 general admission and $30 for a family pass.
The entire convention runs July 4-8.
"While younger enthusiasts are welcome to attend," said Brick Fiesta co-founder Christopher MacDougald, "the target audience for this convention is adults and teens."
MacDougald, 33, is a member of Texas Lego Users Group, or "TexLUG" for short, which sponsors the event.
Last year's Brick Fiesta was in Austin and attracted about 7,000.
Those who would like to attend Brick Fiesta 2012 must purchase a convention membership for $55. Family members may accompany convention members for an additional $25 fee per family member. Convention members receive access to the entire event including speaker sessions.
The Westin Galleria Houston hotel features access to the Galleria Mall, which has one of the Houston area's few official Lego stores.
Although neither the toy manufacturer or the Galleria Mall Lego Store sponsor Brick Fiesta, MacDougald said the local store will have a sales event with discounts for convention members.
Convention memberships may be purchased online at BrickFiesta.com.
Those who wish to attend the convention must register in advance by May 31 to receive a convention badge.
Allen Jones is a freelancer who can be reached at allen....@comcast.net