Category: Events

LEGO Events

BayLUG at Maker Faire Bay Area 2015

Earlier this month, BayLUG (Bay Area LEGO Users’ Group) participated once again in the annual Maker Faire Bay Area, in San Mateo, CA. This is the 10th annual Maker Faire and the 10th that we particpated in (though I personally was out of town for last year’s show). We had a 75′ by 15′ space featuring a train layout, Great Ball Contraption, robotics demonstrations, sculptures and mosaics, WWII ships, and a kids’ play area. Continue reading “BayLUG at Maker Faire Bay Area 2015”

BayLUG October 2014 Meeting

Last month the Bay Area LEGO Users Group (BayLUG) had its annual Anniversary meeting on October 11th at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto. We had a presentation by Russell Clark and myself on using the wiki pages to plan member participation in club events, a Halloween-themed contest, bulk LEGO for sale, and members brought a variety of their creations to display. Check out all the photos I took on Flickr (slideshow).

Brickpile YouTube Channel – Brickworld 2011 Videos

I’ve started a new YouTube channel for Bill Ward’s Brickpile. I’ll be adding videos from LEGO events, and maybe even some original content, tours of my MOCs, etc. So far I’ve just published two videos, which form a 2-part walk-through of Brickworld from 2011: Continue reading “Brickpile YouTube Channel – Brickworld 2011 Videos”

LEGO Fan Weekend 2014, Skærbæk Denmark

As I mentioned in my last post, I attended the 10th and final LEGO Fan Weekend in Skærbæk, Denmark, on September 26-28. I say “final” because it is the last time that it is being run by the LEGO company, but the local LEGO fans will be taking over running it as of next year, so the event will continue. However it was my first time there and I had a great time! Continue reading “LEGO Fan Weekend 2014, Skærbæk Denmark”

Going to Billund!

I’m going to Denmark tomorrow! Flying from San Francisco to Frankfurt, then on to Billund, for my first-ever visit to Denmark and LEGO HQ! I’m going to the annual Fan Weekend in Skærbæk Friday through Sunday, then visiting Billund on Monday, and on to Copenhagen and Hamburg before flying out of Frankfurt on Thursday.

But am I flying home? Not quite yet! I’m going directly from Frankfurt to Seattle (with a stop in Houston) and attending BrickCon. It’s going to be an exciting vacation and I’m really looking forward to it. Watch this space for photos and stories from my trip.

Bricks by the Bay 2014

Our annual LEGO convention here in the bay area, Bricks by the Bay, just happened! I was so busy organizing it that I’m afraid I never got around to posting a blurb on my blog about it – hope you heard about it through other means and were there! It was a huge event, expanding to add a second ballroom, and adding an extra day (Thursday) for a new workshop program. We almost doubled last year’s attendance on the public day (about 4500 vs 2500 last year) though our convention attendance was down.

I’d like to announce the dates for next year’s convention, but we don’t have a firm commitment on the dates yet. The most likely dates are July 16-19, but we can’t be sure until we have a contract from the hotel. The theme for next year will be “Monsters” and we will be also making a special effort to highlight models with lighting effects similar to what they do at Brickworld in Chicago and BrickFair back east, shutting off the convention center lights for a few hours in the evening to let people enjoy the lit-up MOCs (My Own Creations). So start planning your monsters, especially ones with light-up effects!

I didn’t take photos at the convention, but here are some links to galleries that others have posted:

If you have some to add, post a link in the comments.

Trip Report: Brickworld 2014

I went to Chicago a couple of weeks ago to attend the Brickworld LEGO convention, one of the largest such events in the world. As you probably know I am the president of Bricks by the Bay, our local convention here in the San Francisco bay area, and it’s good to get out and visit other conventions to network, pick up new ideas for our event, and just see what the rest of the AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) world is doing. This was my third Brickworld; I had gone in 2009 and 2011. Continue reading “Trip Report: Brickworld 2014”

Back Online

You may have noticed this site has been down a lot lately.

The machine that hosted the Brickpile, along with BayLUG and Bricks by the Bay, along with some other personal domains that I and some friends owned, was hacked back in January, and then we got another site up briefly and it too was almost immediately compromised. But now this is the third try, this time hosted on Amazon EC3. Wish me luck.

Speaking of Bricks by the Bay, we’re ramping things up for the convention this year and I’m really excited about it. Come down to Santa Clara in August and spend a weekend immersing yourself in LEGO fan culture! The convention is Thursday through Sunday, August 7-10, 2014, with a Public Exhibition on Sunday. I’m putting the final touches on the registration system for this year now, and we’ll have it open shortly. Check out the Bricks by the Bay website for more information and I hope to see you there!

P.S.: I’m also going to be at Brickworld in Chicago this year, and later in the year BrickCon in Seattle. If you’re going to be there, look for me.