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LEGO Mania returns to Groveport Town Hall
(by Whitney Wilson Coy, staff writer - November 07, 2012)
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| Messenger photos by Rick Palsgrove |
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Ben Coifman of the Central Ohio LEGO Train Club makes an adjustment to the LEGOMania exhibit in Groveport. Pictured at right is a LEGO version of Groveport Town Hall.
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Karen Lepper of the Central Ohio LEGO Train Club gives one of the LEGOMania exhibit's electric trains a gentle push to get it rolling.
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A close up look at some of the buildings in the LEGOMania exhibit.
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LEGO figures representing the Beatles re-enact the band's famous "Abbey Road" album cover.
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The LEGOMania exhibit includes several scenes depicting well known sayings, such as "Too many cooks spoil the broth," pictured here.
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| One of the village scenes in the LEGOMania exhibit. |
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Ben Coifman of the Central Ohio LEGO Train Club shows Groveport Town Hall employee Soo Fyffe how to clean the train tracks.
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| Ben Coifman of the Central Ohio LEGO Train Club makes an adjustment to one of the trains in the LEGOMania exhibit in Groveport. |
Who says grown-ups can't play with toys?
Members of the Central Ohio LEGO Train Club (COLTC) do just that on a regular basis.
They're a group of adults who spend their spare time creating and building with a favorite children's toy, LEGOs.
"We're not building from sets like you buy at the store," said Andrew Booth, COLTC treasurer. "It's all just from our own imagination."
They build replicas of real-life buildings, and create their own structures. Once they've completed their creations, they don't tear them apart like we did as kids. They put their LEGO creations on display at the many shows put on by the club each year. The finished structures from each member come together to create a massive LEGO city, complete with roads, moving trains, cars, people and landscaping.
Booth admits that LEGOs are a time-consuming hobby. He said an average 10-inch house usually takes 16 to 20 hours to build, but the larger skyscraper buildings can take 40 to 50 hours.
"It takes a lot of free time, although I don't know where we all find that," he said. "We have a guy that did a model of the Ohio Stadium, and it took him two years."
It's also a hobby that's not easy on your wallet.
"LEGOs, they aren't cheap," said Booth.
According to Booth, the larger models can take 40,000 to 50,000 pieces to complete, making each quite costly.
Fortunately, the group has partnered with LEGO to buy pieces in bulk.
"It's great that they're involved in our community," he said.
COLTC is always accepting new members and Booth said joining is as easy as attending a monthly meeting. They meet every other month to talk about new building projects, upcoming shows and all things LEGO. For a list of meeting dates and locations, visit their website at coltc.org.
"I found my old LEGOs in my grandparent's attic a few years ago," said Booth. "I started searching online and I found this whole community."
He says the group is very laid back, with no dues and no real rule book.
"It's more like, I like LEGOs, you like LEGOs, let's hang out!" said Booth. "We can really customize things to anyone who wants to participate. You can join if you like to make the big buildings, or we had one guy who just made pine trees."
According to Booth, the group is made up of about 20 people from Central Ohio and other parts of the state.
"We're from all over," said Booth. "We used to have a lot of members from Cleveland and Cincinnati, but those cities have their own groups now."
LEGOMania at Groveport Town Hall
The group has two shows underway, one at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St., Columbus, and another called LEGOMania at Groveport Town Hall, 648 Main St., Groveport.
It's not the group's first time in Groveport, and they're bringing back their LEGO replica of Groveport Town Hall, a big hit with the crowd at their last show in Groveport in 2008.
"This one is going to be a little bit different," Booth said of this and past Groveport shows.
Booth explained that a lot of the group's large structures are at the Columbus Museum of Art, but he said that will not take away from the Groveport show.
"We're not taking away from one show to benefit the other," he said. "We're taking a lot of buildings and pieces out of storage that we haven't used in a while. It's going to be a good show."
LEGOMania will include a large display by COLTC, as well as an area where young LEGO artists can try their hand at creating their own works of art.
LEGOMania will be held through Dec. 31 on the first floor of Groveport Town Hall. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. The exhibit will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas. Admission is free.
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