Solvang hosting first LEGO Building Competition this weekend
Bill Vollbrecht, who created this LEGO gingerbread house, is among the people competing in the Solvang LEGO Building Competition this weekend. Mr. Vollbrecht is a former master model designer and LEGOLAND Parks designer
Solvang is hosting its first Solvang LEGO Building Competition this weekend.
LEGO, the famous Danish building block brand, is the inspiration behind the two-day, family-friendly competition which is pitting some of the top LEGO builders against each other as they construct their own takes on Solvang’s five fabled Danish bakeries: Mortensen’s Danish Bakery, Solvang Bakery, Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery, Danish Mill Bakery and Birkholm’s Bakery and Cafe.
One of the LEGO builds will take place between Mortensen’s Danish Bakery and peasants FEAST.
The event kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday as the builders begin their projects and work through 4 p.m. in 10 competitor tents scattered about the town.
Spectators are welcome to watch as the invited pros work their building block magic into their best version of a storybook bakery.
One of the registered participants is Zack Macasaet, block builder extraordinaire featured on Season 2 of the Fox competition series “LEGO Masters.”
Also slated for the competition is Bill Vollbrecht, a former master model designer and LEGOLAND Parks designer; Mariann Asanuma, the world’s first female, freelance LEGO artist and former Master Model Designer at LEGOLAND California, where she was the first American woman to hold that LEGOLAND title; Gwyneth Kozbial, a writer for BrickNerd; and Chris Wight, whose LEGO craftwork has helped with projects for the L.A. Auto Show and the construction of an oversized model of the neurology wing at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Assembling the Solvang LEGO Building Competition participants and serving as one of the weekend’s judges, is LEGO artist Allyson Gail, whose food-famous work has been featured on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “The Brothers Brick” by LEGO and more.
Judging begins at noon Sunday, followed by an awards ceremony at 1 p.m. for the best build, both to be held at the Solvang Visitor Center, 1639 Copenhagen Drive. Prizes will be awarded to the top three builders in the competition.
Kid-favorite LEGO blocks were originally made of wood; Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen created the first version of the building blocks in the 1930s. He named his company LEGO, a mix of the Danish words “to play” and “good.” Denmark is still home to the original LEGOLAND and LEGO House.
“Solvang’s Danish roots and authentic heritage seemed the perfect fit for this family-oriented spring event, celebrating one of Denmark’s most famous exports. We’re thrilled to have some of the top LEGO block builders in the nation joining us for this fun Danish tribute, and we look forward to welcoming locals and visitors to this first-ever event,” said Scott Shuemake, executive producer with Cogs & Marvel, planners and organizers of the inaugural Solvang LEGO Building Competition, which is free to attend.
Event updates will be posted to the SolvangUSA Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts: @SolvangUSA, facebook.com/SolvangUSA, and twitter.com/SolvangUSA. For more information, visit www.solvangusa.com.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
FYI
The Solvang LEGO Building Competition will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday around Solvang.
LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this event.
