LAC LA BICHE - On Feb. 1, LEGO enthusiasts from the Lac La Biche area were at the Stuart MacPherson Public Library branch in Lac La Biche to showcase their colourful, unique, and interesting creations for the 10th annual LEGO competition.
The competition is hosted annually by Lac La Biche County Libraries. Throughout the day, kids and adults alike dropped off and built interesting and unique LEGO innovations that were put on display and judged.
The event featured other activities that included a LEGO figurine scavenger hunt, LEGO building challenges, as well as an opportunity to do artwork with Perler Beads - plastic fusible beads that are often used in making necklaces, woven into keychains, and other items.
This year’s competition to determine who had the best LEGO creation included six categories: 0-6 years, 7-11 years, 12–17-years, 18+ years, as well as Best Onsite Build and Viewer’s Choice.
The winners of the 2025 LEGO competition will be announced between Feb. 10 and 14. Prizes range from LEGO themed goodie bags, to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) kits, and of course LEGO kits.
For many years, Mark Batchuk has been entering creations into the LEGO competition.
“It gives me a chance to show off,” he said, with a smile.
For the 2025 contest, Batchuk built models of Patrick and SpongeBob from the popular SpongeBob SquarePants series.
While he has constructed SpongeBob creations in previous years, Batchuk explained he had to wait to get enough pink bricks to make Patrick.
Since becoming involved with the LEGO competition, Batchuk has built and entered a variety of creations that have included a three-foot dinosaur, a tower from the Teen Titans series, and Mario from the Super Mario Bros. videogame series.
“Last year was a Batman mini figure,” he said.
For Batchuk, tinkering with LEGO blocks and building things is an activity he has enjoyed since childhood.
“I used to build a lot of houses when I was a kid . . . I’m enjoying the new colours that they have,” he said.
After finding out about the LEGO competition from her brother, nine-year-old Athena Twigge decided to enter the contest.
After watching an online video, Twigge went to work fashioning a scaled-down, but very colourful version of a drive-thru establishment, complete with a vehicle.
Clearly proud of her creation, she dropped it off at the Stuart MacPherson Public Library for the contest.
Twigge said she has quite a few LEGOs at home and has a lot of fun playing with the colourful plastic blocks.
“I like how you get to make different things,” she said.
