Millions of Legos, lots of hard work to transform Cantigny
Don't let the name deceive you.
There's a lot more to Cantigny Park's eighth annual Holiday Lego Train Show than toy locomotives made out of the popular interlocking plastic bricks.
As part of this weekend's show, 16 members of the Northern Illinois Lego Train Club will transform open space in Cantigny's visitors center into two massive cityscapes created entirely with Lego blocks. The moving trains are just one part of the complex, colorful scenes.
"Everybody is going to build the best they can dealing with genre that they really love, whether it be city, villages, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Star Wars or whatever," said Jamie LeBlanc, Northern Illinois Lego Train Club's president. "We let the train tracks and the trains kind of tie it all together into one large display."
LeBlanc, for example, specializes in making villages, while another member prefers to create replicas of Chicago buildings.
Laura Evans, Cantigny's director of visitor services, said the end result is a visual treat.
"You can stand there for a long time and never see the intricate details of everything," she said. "There's so many different parts in every display they have, it's just fascinating."
The show hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5-6. Work on setting up the Lego group's largest show of the year starts around noon Friday and takes about 12 hours to complete.
LeBlanc doesn't even know exactly how many Lego pieces will be used.
"Millions," he guessed, adding he uses hundreds of little bricks to create a bed of flowers.
Last year's exhibit at Cantigny attracted 3,600 visitors over two days. Evans said the event draws a lot of families.
"It seems to be a holiday tradition for many of the families," she said. "They come out here to Cantigny and that's kind of the kick-start to their holiday events."
LeBlanc, who has been collecting Legos since 1974, said he enjoys sharing his hobby with others.
"You look around and people are in a room looking at stuff that the club and myself created," he said. "They are all smiling and happy. What's there not to like?"
Admission to the Lego Train Show is free, but a $5 parking fee is required. The parking fee is $2 before 10 a.m.
Show visitors are encouraged to bring new and unwrapped toys for the Marine Toys for Tots drop boxes inside the visitors center. Anyone bringing a toy can park for free.
For information, visit cantigny.org.
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>What:</b> Cantigny Park's annual Holiday Lego Train Show</p> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>When:</b> 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6</p> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Where:</b> Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton</p> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Cost:</b> Free admission; $5 per car fee for parking </p> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Info:</b> <a href="http://cantigny.org" target="new">cantigny.org</a></p>