Lego fans hit the bricks in Gurnee

Lego fanatics were busy hitting the bricks Sunday at the food court in Gurnee Mills.

They were taking part in Lego Creation Nation, a three-day event that also commemorated the first anniversary of the Lego store at the Gurnee mall.

Children and their parents gathered around a semicircular table covered in black cloth, assembling bricks on brick plates. Their finished products were then placed in a nearby area on the floor that represented a map of the United States and contained such Lego structures as a replica of the Willis Tower in Chicago.

Melanie Stinson of Wadsworth was there with her 8-year-old son, Owen.

Owen said his favorite sets include Batman, Ghostbusters and Iron Man - "superheroes in general," Melanie said.

"You can build a lot of things and, when you get the Lego sets with the instructions in it, you can easily follow their directions." Owen said, adding that as a Green Bay Packers fan he'd like top build a replica of the Packers' stadium, Lambeau Field.

Joy Helfers of Lindenhurst said LEGOS are popular in her family as well. Her 7-year-old son Daniel, who accompanied her Sunday, has been playing with them for four years, she said.

Daniel said he enjoys the set from "The Lego Movie."

"Because it's an open-ended toy, kids don't have to be forced to think one way," Joy Helfers said.

She also noted that the finished products don't necessarily have to look like the figures on the boxes, saying Daniel frequently improvises.

"For kids who may be gifted with spatial intelligence, it's something that really can lend itself to self-esteem - 'look what I made,'" she added.

On Sunday, Nick Mills of the Lego store manned the table, handing out the pieces.

"When I was young, my parents got me Legos all the time," said Mills, 21, of Lake Villa.

For Mills, working in the store is "definitely the best job I have ever had. Basically I just get paid to play. Seriously, it does not get much better than that."