Welcome to Part 2 of our look back at 2024. January thru June was off to a busy start. With community events, convention season up and running and a couple shows under our belt, we were ready to face the next 6 months head on.
July was a packed month! We took on a new museum partnership with the city of Port Moody, BC. Eight builders and three weeks, produced one of the most spectacular recreations of Port Moody’s iconic Rocky Point. From brewery row, to the jetted pier, visitors were treated to memorable sights in Lego form. The event took place at the PoMo Museum and lasted from July until October 2024.
July continued into convention season with VLCer Will stopping in at Brickfair, Virginia to showcase his Battle Bricks. While Neil and Joanne flew down to Austin, Texas to check out Brick Rodeo!
August kicked off with a special opportunity to partner with the Starlight Children’s Foundation. VLCer Val joined the Starlight foundation out at Misson Raceway in Misson, BC to bring together the thrill of supercars and Lego. Children and their families took turns designing their very own Lego racecars before jumping into a supercar to take a zip out on the race track.
August continued to be the month of collaborations and exceptional community engagements as we joined London Farm days in historic Steveston, BC. This beautiful four-acre farm set the backdrop to a day of fun for the whole family. We were so excited to bring our love of Lego and botanicals out. Families created flowers, butterflies and more to display on a giant brick build flower.
Keeping theme with the agricultural sector, a few VLCers were invited out to Abbottsford, BC to join our good friends at FVLUG (Fraser Valley Lego Users Group) for their show, Agrifair. The Lego event was a train show that blended different adaptations of agriculture life with modern cities. It truly showcased the amalgamation of history, farmlands, and cityscapes.
August was a busy month but we were not done yet! Several members of the VLC traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Brick Slopes 10 year anniversary celebration. The high energy and creative atmosphere were the precursors to what would be an amazing weekend.
Neil and Joanne were awarded with the Be Better Builders award for their continued dedication to building up the Lego community both at home and internationally. Neil also took home the award for best GBC module in “Mariokart Rainbow Road.”
VLCer Paul won the award for best Pop Culture build for “The Hottest Band In The World…Kiss!”
In September several VLCer’s took a road trip down to Seattle for BrickCon, “The world’s longest running convention.” This was a wonderful weekend full of good friends, amazing eats, and of course a few awards too!
VLCer John won the award “Were gonna need a bigger boat” for his recreation of a classic fire boat.
VLCer Paul won the award “Power in Function,” for his incredible build, “Tiki Madness.”
While September seemed to slow down for a moment, it was all in preparation for what was to come in October and November!
With October finally here, it was time for the VLC’S very first show that was truly a show all our own. VLC Brick Day took place at Scottsdale Center in Delta, BC. Members showcased their MOC’s from historic houses, an array of vehicles large and small, fantasy creations, GBC’s and so much more! Of course it wouldn’t have been a VLC show with out a fun collab! It was the right amount of creative prowess and variation in build styles. There really was something for everyone young and old to enjoy.
With our first Brick day in the books, it was time to head over to Nanaimo, BC for Mid Island Brick Fest. A few members of the VLC were fortunate enough to be invited to Nanaimo for MILUG’s (Mid Island Lego Users Group) show. What a phenomenal experience! MILUG certainly know how to hold a captivating good time. There were tables of MOC’s from mosaics to fantasy builds, from Blacktron to an outstanding Portal collab. What really made this event stand out was the community connection MILUG has. Visitors young and young at heart had so much to do. Families were invited to build Wacky Racers, play Lego bingo, and participate in a quiet area if visitors needed some downtime.
November was full of excitement as it brought us to the Vancouver Train Expo. This was the second largest train show the VLC participated in 2024. With a layout just shy of 30′ x 30′, we upped our train game to something really spectacular! Guest were treated to replica recreations of classic Vancouver street cars and transit lines. Visitors could watch seven different trains zipping through Legoized versions of Gastown, and East Van to iconic tulip fields of Abbottsford, and costal beaches of Port Moody.
With the event so close to Halloween, visitors had a hauntingly good time spotting several areas of the layout with a spooky twist. Spider covered lavender fields, rich forests leading to something strange, a looming gothic cathedral reviling the residents of the neighboring cemetery, and the star of the show, a kraken reaching out from the deep! We had such a fun time creating this layout. The cherry on top was winning the People’s Choice award the second year in a row. Best train layout 2024! It was an amazing way to cap off our show season.
With December’s arrival, the VLC had one of the most important events left. The VLC and Fraser Valley Bricks annual toy drive for the Surrey Christmas Bureau was taking place. This event raises donations for local families in need for Christmas. This is an event that is so close to our hearts and the perfect way to cap off an extraordinary year of community building. 2024 would see the largest donation made yet at $10,850. We are so honored by all who donated this year. With that said, none of this would be what it is, without Andrew (Fraser Valley Bricks) leading the helm of such a wonderful cause!
And with that, 2024 comes to a close! It has been an incredible year of supporting our communities, raising up our fellow AFOLs, and pushing the limits of the brick.
From all of us at the VLC: Thank you for coming on this journey with us. Wishing you all a Happy New Year!
