Two children looked up at the Lego tower standing beside them and began to smile and dance. They had just won the Lego tower building competition during SEMO’s Lego Family Weekend, setting a new record for the tallest Lego structure at 88 inches and beating last year’s 71 inches.
The two-day event was hosted by Crisp Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, and Sunday, Jan. 29. Lego sets replaced some of the museum displays, and the art gallery was converted into a building area.
Outreach specialist Gary Tyler said Lego Family Weekend is an annual event that allows the SEMO community to come together, free of charge. He said Crisp Museum started hosting the event before COVID-19, and the event returned to the River Campus in 2022.
Gary Tyler said the event was a great celebration of 65 years of Legos.
“[In] 1958, [Lego] submitted their patent to the United States for Legos, the modern brick,” Tyler said.
Tables were set up outside of the gallery for drawing and socializing, and “The Lego Movie” played in the small theater.
Families were encouraged to do a scavenger hunt with their kids, and if all items on the list were found, they could enter to win a Lego set. A model building demonstration was also available.
An additional hourly raffle was available for sign up, and the size of the prizes increased hour by hour.
Student worker Rae Perry ran the ticket stand for the hourly raffle and said they enjoy how legos bring people together.
“The Lego Weekend is all about Legos and fun, playing with bricks, and just building up and experimenting around,” Perry said. “It’s just cool to watch all of the families come in and interact, and how much fun everyone has. It’s so fun to be a kid again.”
The Lego building and fun wasn’t limited to just kids, however, as SEMO students found enjoyment in the event, as well.
Historic preservation freshman Bailee Porteous said the Lego Weekend was open for anyone.
“I think it's a nice way for people to express themselves and come and realize that anybody can build Legos,” Porteous said.
Anthropology and historic preservation double major Carlee Ashby agreed with Porteus and said the immersion between museum exhibits and Lego creations was interesting.
“I really enjoyed walking through the exhibits and seeing the different Lego sets,” Ashby said. “What's fun about Legos is it’s not just a kids’ event. Anyone can come; we’re in college, and we still had tons of fun.”
