Remembering all the fun of Friday night at Science World After Dark: The Bricks and Drinks Mixer edition.

Photos courtesy of VLC member Tyler Sky. 

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Well, I guess technically it was called Science World After Dark: The Bricks and Drinks Mixer.  But what we’re calling it is a helluva lot of fun with LEGO on a Friday night.  And the alcohol certainly didn’t hurt.   Except that guy who spilled wine on our LEGO bricks.  We’re not thanking him.  (just kidding, he was good about it.)

So we had a lot of people come through our stations on the second floor to take part in our merriment.  They included:

• Speed builds – everyone builds the same set in the fastest time possible.
• Bag builds – everyone builds a small set within a baggie.
• Partner blind build – people pair up and build a set together, one is blindfolded and assembles the set while the partner gives instructions
• Themed Freebuild – participants are given access to our tubs of LEGO to build for a set amount of time based on a theme.
• Brickfilms in the Theatre – I bet a lot of you missed this.  There were awesome stop motion animation LEGO films as well, as our very own Paul Hetherington’s Joker’s Fun House.
• LEGO Drag Racing – or as I preferred to call it, the Ramp of Doom.   Taking the Legend of Chima Speedorz, you launched your customized sigfig off our ramp and hopefully into a bucket.

As well, we had some of our member’s creations at the entrance of the LEGO Travel Adventure exhibit.

Photos will be up shortly are up for all of those who built your wonderful creations at our themed freebuild station and those of you lucky ones who won your heat at our various events and got the coveted paper gold medal with red brick.   Okay, it was yellow.

Click here for the photos

The adults evening event was so popular (a record attendance for SWAD) that we are being asked to come back to provide entertainment for the next Science World After Dark: The Bricks and Drinks Mixer (Green Month Style) on April 25th, 2014.  Will we see you there?

We’re thinking about a few more different events, different sets and a new area will be opened up for us which will make it even more interesting and that much more fun, if you’re going to come join us again!

Early bird pricing is $18.  Regular pricing is $25 but it sold out before it could get to regular.  So book early.   You don’t want to be like those guys on Craigslist who were scrambling at the last minutes to buy tickets.  Book by clicking on the the above EVERYTHING IS AWESOME or on this boring link Book your tickets now

And if you don’t know why everything is awesome….

Thank you for all of you who came out to the 2013 Van Dusen Festival of Lights Make-A-Wish Parade of LEGO Wonders and gave generously to help make the wishes of local children who face or faced life threatening medical conditions happen.  It is an honour for our members to be able to help out by donating our time and creations for this cause.

The crowd favourites were definitely the two Despicable Me Minions floats, however there was a lot of creativity on display.   We had the Real Housewives of the North Pole, Ice Skaters Blades of Glory, 501st Legion Clone Trooper Batallions, Calvin and Hobbes sledding, Disney Princesses on Parade and a big Mickey Mouse.  It really was a group effort by all our members to pull this whole display together.

For those of you who were unable to make it, here are photos taken of this years’ display.

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Thanks so much for coming out last weekend to Douglas Coupland’s Brick Lounge at the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Family FUSE Event.  We couldn’t have done this crowd sourced experiment without your participation.  Granted most of the younger participants probably had no idea who Douglas Coupland was, but they sure as heck respond to box upon box upon box of the most colourful LEGO bricks that they’ve ever seen.  As quick builders as they were, they hardly made a dent in his LEGO stash.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to use all the towers that were built as some crumbled very easily.  We did take as many photos as we could, so maybe you’ll spot yours in the photo gallery below.  However, if you built yours strong, maybe, just maybe you’ll spot yours in Douglas Coupland’s exhibit everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything at the Vancouver Art Gallery debuting in May 2014.

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Last week, you probably saw the video gone viral about BatKid (aka five year old leukemia patient Miles Scott) in San Francisco.   Perhaps you even shed a tear for the humanity that you witnessed in making this young boy’s dream come true of being a superhero for a day.  Well, wishes like that do come true for young kids largely because of the efforts of organizations like the Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon foundation.

Last year we were pleased to be able to collaborate with the Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon Foundation to help them build a Winter Wonderland in LEGO Bricks.   Thanks to all of you who came, you donated enough money to grant 7 wishes to children who face life threatening illnesses.

This year we’ve been asked to unleash our imaginations and see what we can come up with.   We’re taking a little bit of liberty in doing another cityscape but we intend to make it come to life by hosting a Parade of LEGO Wonders down the streets of LEGOville.

To the right, we’ll give you a teaser of what to expect from this display by showing you a partial image of one of our completed floats.   I’m sure quite a few of you will recognize this comic character.

The members of the Vancouver LEGO Club are very touched and moved by what the Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon Foundation does for the children and families who find themselves facing a life threatening illness or condition.

I am personally grateful, since my niece when was granted her wish at six years old to go to Disneyworld with her family after she had recovered from her chemo and radiation after being diagnosed with a rare muscle cancer that was located by the brain.  She’s a healthy young lady now and she still loves building with LEGO.

We like to see kids smile and it’s even better if you know that you were responsible for making that kid light up a smile.  So please remember to take some time out of your busy holiday season to go visit our Parade of LEGO Wonders and to please give generously to the Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon Foundation while you’re visiting at the Van Dusen Gardens Festival of Lights.

2013 Hours & Admission

December 11, 2013 through January 4, 2014, 4:30 to 9 p.m. each evening, except December 25th when the Garden is closed. A magical experience for the whole family with 1.4 million twinkling lights.

For the duration of the Festival, the Garden, Garden Shop and Truffles Café will be open 10am to 3pm. The doors will re-open at 4:30pm for the show for Festival of Lights patrons only.

www.vandusengarden.org or call the Information Line 604-257-8335 press 12.

From November 1, avoid the line-up and purchase advance tickets through Tickets Tonight 604.684.2787 (service charge applies) or in person at the Admissions Desk in the Visitor Centre (no service charge) as of November 1. Tickets make a great stocking stuffer or gift for friends, co-workers or clients.

Available at Tickets Tonight, Admissions Desk or at the gate:

Other highlights while you’re there include:

• Dancing Lights on Livingstone Lake: starting at 4:30 p.m. Two different shows – one show on the half hour and a different one at the top of the hour. Two different shows repeating in sequence throughout the evening.
• Photos with Santa and the backdrop of a million twinkling lights: Dec. 11 – 24
• Svend and Jens, our Scandinavian Christmas Gnomes appear nightly in three performance areas
• Mischievous Grinch and his secret hut
• Shadow puppet performance by the talented duo Mind of a Snail
• Community Choirs on the Performance Stage (Dec. 11 – 20)
• VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir on the Performance Stage (Dec. 21)
• The Christmas Revelers on the Performance Stage (Dec. 22 and 23)
• Make-a-Wish Candle Grotto
• Candy Cane Express model train
• Make-A-Wish ‘Room of Joy’ featuring a Parade of Lego Wonders creations by the Vancouver Lego Club (hey, that’s us!)

For those who missed out on seeing our Winter Wonderland display last year, please click on the PHOTOS tab above.

For those of you who missed the BatKid in San Francisco video.

Have you ever looked at a photo and said, “I could totally make that in LEGO?” Well, about a month ago, I got introduced to the architecture of the late Daniel Evan White and thought to myself the same thing.  What, you’ve never heard of him? Well, unfortunately that’s not an uncommon response.  White was a local architect who designed residential houses, so his structures are not as well known as other prominent Vancouver architects, but they are quite distinct in his style.

So it’s with this thinking that the Museum of Vancouver is using LEGO bricks to bring people in to see their latest exhibit Play House: The architecture of Daniel Evan White.  While the exhibit is running until March 2014, this event is one day only on Saturday December 14, 2013.

You’ll have the option of building some modernist architecture buildings built out of LEGO sets which is being run by Vancouver Brick Games.  In addition , Jonathan Vaughn Strebly has even made it possible for you to build White’s Mate House, (the one pictured below) entirely of LEGO bricks.

For our part the Vancouver LEGO Club will be bringing it’s members and big tubs of LEGO brick to either build in the style of Daniel Evan White or just simply free build with more LEGO than you probably have available to you at home.   Our portion is free with your admission to the Museum of Vancouver but I highly suggest that you book ahead, so we know how to plan.

Please be aware that even though you will be building your own personal masterpieces, you will not be allowed to keep any LEGO pieces.

This event is both kid and adult friendly.   LEGO is family friendly, so don’t just bring your kids down to play.  Build something yourself while your kids are building.

To find out more about Daniel Evan White, head to www.danielevanwhite.ca

There is also a booklet you can purchase at the MoV for the exhibit.

DIY Daniel: Lego Build Day – Dec 14, 2013 – 11am to 5pm

For one special afternoon the Vancouver Brick Games, the Vancouver LEGO Club and Johnathon Vaughn Strebly have teamed up with the MOV to celebrate the playful legacy of Vancouver architect, Daniel Evan White. Come and co-create an immersive architectural and experimental play space where you will re-build canonical architectural masterpieces or design your own original hallmarks of modernist fare from 11am – 5pm, Dec 14, 2013. This family friendly build day will feature an opportunity to view models, embark on your own hands-on exploration of Architectural LEGO to complement our current exhibition Play House: The Architecture of Daniel Evan White.

12:00pm Modern Masterpieces: Speed Build: Hosted by the Vancouver Brick Games. A build where participants build sets of modernist Architectural LEGO to compete for awesome prizes. $18. Register below.

2:00pm Maté House: Build it out of LEGO!: Hosted by Johnathan Vaughan Strebly. For the first time, registered participants build a LEGO model Daniel Evan White’s Maté House using LEGO instructions created by the host especially for this event. $18. Register below.

3:00pm Make Yours Look like Daniel’s: Daniel Evan White Build: Registered participants build their own modernist residences or abstract shapes using basic white LEGO bricks in the spirit of Daniel Evan White’s Architecture. Results judged by Johnathan Vaughn Strebly + TBA guest Judges. $18. Register below.

11:00am – 5:00pm All Ages: Open Build: Throughout the day, attendees of all ages are encouraged to build in the spirit of Daniel Evan White. Interpret his aesthetic through the unique geometries of LEGO in the Open Build. Hosted by the Vancouver LEGO Club. By general admission | MOV Members free.

Get tickets: https://dec14legobuildday.eventbrite.com/

If you’re an adult you probably don’t get asked very often to “come build LEGO” unless it’s by your children.    But writer and visual artist Douglas Coupland is asking you to do exactly that.  And kids are welcome to two special sessions of their own!

In preparation for his upcoming exhibit, “Douglas Coupland: everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything” running May 31 to Sept 1, 2014 at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Douglas Coupland is inviting you to come out and spend a day or night building with his rather abundant stash of LEGO bricks.  The colour palette and volume that he has assembled is enough to make an AFOL cry.   What he’s asking you to do is build the most amazing, interesting, creative LEGO towers you choose to construct.

For children there are two events during Family FUSE – Nov 23 (Sat) and 24th (Sun), registration at www.bricklounge.ca There are plenty of kid friendly activities happening throughout the gallery, so if you’ve never taken your kids to the Vancouver Art Gallery these are great weekends to do so.  For Family FUSE, children 12 are free when accompanied by a paying adult.

For adults there are two events, a Cocktails and LEGO night on Tuesday, Nov 26th from 7pm to 9m which entry to the museum is by donation after 5:30pm so there’s still time to explore the gallery.  For entry to the build event register at www.cocktailsnlego.com

It may appear that the pre-register events are sold out but they are not, it’s a two step process.  However, there is limited availability.  First email to sal@jellymarketing.com which event you want to go to and then use the promotional code provided to register at the Eventbrite page associated with the event you’re registering for.  There will most likely be spots available on the day of,  as well.

The other adult night will be on FUSE Friday, Nov 29th where the Vancouver Art Gallery transforms into THE place for art, music and live performance in the city. Live performances in the Gallery spaces, DJs, eclectic Gallery tours and unexpected surprises have made FUSE Vancouver’s favourite see–and–be–seen event.

For FUSE Friday signups will be taken from those who are attending the evening. (ie. no pre-registration necessary, just onsite)  Admission to FUSE Friday is $17.  Adults 19+ only.

All of these LEGO Build Events will require admission into the Vancouver Art Gallery.  As always, Vancouver Art Gallery members are free of charge.  Tuesday evenings after 5pm are by donation.  For Family FUSE, children 12 and under are free with accompanied by a paid adult admission.

Enjoy these Special Admission Rates while we change over exhibitions.

Fall Admission Rates (All prices subject to GST)
*Valid October 26 to May 2014.

*Students must show current student ID from a post-secondary education institution.
**Family rate includes two adults and up to 4 children.

Tuesdays after 5pm admission by donation.

Hope to see you all there!