The Lego Brick Fest was held at the Boys and Girls Club in Kirkland on Jan. 4. The event was directed by Bekki Jo Kahler, an enthusiastic Kirkland resident with two Lego-loving kids. The family was inspired to organize this fundraising event after they attended the Brick Fest in Oregon hosted by the Lego Company.

Kahler and her kids decided to donate the proceeds from the event to charities that are meaningful to their family. They chose the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Keystone Club. ASPCA provides abused or neglected animals with the care and help they need. The Keystone Club is a national teenage leadership group that focuses on college preparation, career development and community issues and is a division of the Boys and Girls Club. Erik Touhey, coordinator of the Kirkland Keystone club, explained that the group is raising money to attend a national conference in Anaheim, California later in the year.

The event had several sponsors; both companies and individuals who donated money toward buying Legos. Some sponsors donated Legos they already had. With these necessities taken care of, the event was ready to start! Set up was done by Kahler, her sister, and her family along with the Boys and Girls Club. “Going forward, we really want this to be an annual event that will become bigger and better,” says Kahler of the Kirkland Brick Fest.

At the event, kids of all ages came and played with Legos. There were lots of Legos available, and between a bridge building competition and a whole room of other Lego-lovers, everyone was excited! Five year old Aidan and his dad were having fun building jet planes and other constructions. Aiden’s dad works at PCL, one of the event sponsors, and had found out about the event through an email from the company.

And despite the sunny weather, which made it tempting to play outside, die hard Lego Lovers still kept their head in the game, arriving to the event ready for fun. Look out for next year’s Brick Fest which promises to be even bigger and better.

Allison Hoff is an 11-year-old Kirkland resident.