Beat it, kids: It's Adult Fan of Lego Night

YONKERS — It's the world's biggest toymaker and countless numbers of children grew up playing with (and painfully stepping on) the brightly colored bricks, plates and studs, but what's a Lego lover to do when he or she enters the dreaded years of adulthood?

Go to Adult Fan of Lego Night, of course!

A colleague mentioned that, when she covered a similar event at a Boston location, it was packed with throngs of 20- to 30-somethings sipping wine and beer. Intrigued, we checked the Legoland Discovery Center Westchester and found that it, too, closes its doors to youngsters and hosts an adults-only party for grown-up lovers of the brand. And yes, there's alcohol.

From 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of most months, Legoland Discovery Center Westchester closes its doors to anyone under 18.

The nights have various themes and August's was all about music, with the center putting a Lego spin on the popular Coachella Festival and presenting Brickchella.

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A DJ provided a lively soundtrack to the night and operated a karaoke machine; wax figures of Michael Jackson and Beyonce — on loan from Madame Tussaud's — were prominently propped; there was music trivia; and a guitar, turntable and keyboard — all made of Lego bricks — served as prizes for the night's activities.

The crowd ranged in age, but skewed younger, with most of the attendees in their 20s or 30s. There were a middle-aged couple or two who could have been playing with the bricks since they were first sold in the U.S. back in 1961.

In one corner, guests built Lego cars and raced them down a sloped track in the center's Lego Racers: Build and Test area. In Duplo Village, attendees channeled their inner kids and played in a foam pit of soft, oversized bricks.

"It's just super fun. It's totally better to come with adults since there's no kids running around and no chaos," said Brittany Georgalas, 22, who made the trip all the way from Merrick. "It's fun to see how much other adults enjoy Lego, because we usually think of Lego as a kid's toy or a children's toy, so coming here opened my eyes to how many people have this hobby and that I'm not the only one."

Near the DJ, a representative from Lefteris Gyro was selling Coronas, Corona Lights and a tasty sangria.

Along with the themed activities, all of the center's attractions are open to attendees, including a 4D movie theater, building challenges, rides, and Miniland, a stunningly detailed Lego replica of New York City, which moves, lights up or emits sounds when guests push buttons or turn knobs.

I spent much of my time in awe at the intricacy of Miniland and tried (and failed) to build the speediest car there. The 4D movie theater showed the 15-minute "Clutch Powers 4D Adventure." In addition to the impressive 3D effects, viewers would feel air blow their hair back or have drops of water, simulating rain, fall from above, in sync with the onscreen action.

In an instructional class, led by one of the site's model builders, guests were shown how to make a Lego whale which they could take home for $5. The instructor joked about how much more quickly the classes go when he's leading adults and asked where everyone's sangria was. The class laughed when Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" wafted in the door as guests entered.

Sporting a "The Lego Movie" shirt, Georgalas said the 2014 film helped reinvigorate her love of Lego, and that it's a combination of nostalgia and creativity that keep people interested.

This was her second time to an AFoL Night and she said she's already planning a return visit.

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Lego's sentimental value is what draws guests, said Monique Perretti, the center's marketing manager.

"It’s reminiscent, so it brings them back to their childhood," she said. "To be able to have an indoor attraction where they can do something that they loved as a child but that is still cool as an adult is pretty impressive."

Approximately 40 people turned out for August's event, but Peretti said that number can increase dramatically, depending on the night's theme, with Video Game Night and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles event being the most popular.

"At our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-themed event, they did, for example, a pizza-eating contest, it was Michelangelo's Pizza Eating Contest," she said.

Other events have been based on "Star Wars," "Doctor Who," "Star Trek" and "Game of Thrones."

By the time the evening was winding down, guests and employees congregated around the DJ. An attendee belted out his best "Bohemian Rhapsody" and, at one point, several staffers emulated Will Smith and Carlton's dance from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" set to Sugarhill Gang's "Apache (Jump on it)."

The night had truly become a celebration among like-minded, Lego-loving friends.

The next AFoL Night will be Oct. 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. and admission is $15. Tickets and more information can be found at legolanddiscoverycenter.com/westchester or by calling 866-243-0770. The center is at 1 Ridge Hill Blvd., Yonkers.

Meet the master model builder

Every Legoland Discovery Center has its own model master builder who oversees many of the operations at the sites. At the Yonkers location, that's Veronica Watson.

"I didn’t really previously know it was a thing to be a master builder," said Watson, who was working at the center —operating rides and teaching classes — on weekends while studying urban design and architecture at New York University. Shortly after graduation, the position opened up and Watson decided to go for it.

"You have to do a building competition. It’s a full-day building competition slash interviewing process and I won," she said.

The competition included three challenges. In the first, potential master builders had to build something with an animal focus and Watson made a duck pond featuring birds in the trees. The second round was a musical instrument and she made a guitar.

"The final round was something that represents yourself, so I did my head, like a self-portrait," Watson said.

Watson's duties "differ day to day," she said. "Some of the days I spend building custom models for events, prizes for AFoL or for different social media things. Then I’m also responsible for repairing and cleaning the larger models that are onsite here at Legoland Discovery Center and I also work with some of the education aspects of what we do here, so I help organize the workshops and education classes."

While she played with Lego bricks as a child, Watson said her interest waned as she got older, but that working at the center opened her eyes to how much of an adult following the brand has.

As far as her favorite creations, Watson says a re-creation she did of Picasso’s "Guernica" tops the list, but that she also enjoyed creating the Fender Stratocaster guitar she made as a prize for August's AFoL event.

"That was pretty challenging," she said. "So I enjoyed doing that one."

More to do (and learn)

The center, of course, offers much more than just the adult-only parties. It's open seven days a week and, with the exception of the special nights, no adults are allowed without an accompanying child. Additional special events include ninja and Star Wars-themed weekends, holiday parties and more.

Monthly Teacher Nights allow educators to explore the center and the potential Lego has to unlock children's creativity and imagination.

"I was attracted to teaching the kids," said employee Kayla Griffith. "We have the little class right there so I wanted to get experience teaching the kids and it's been great."

Watson sees the benefits too.

"It definitely teaches kids to think critically; to think how they can take bricks and create things that they want to create," she said. "And there’s also a math and science aspect, I would say. There’s certain math involved in the size of the studs and the ratio of the pieces."

Watson regularly organizes workshops that stress engineering for making a stronger model and creative classes on telling stories through Lego.

"You can use Lego specifically for educational purposes," Watson said. "But even when you’re not, when the kids are just playing for fun, there’s benefit there as well."

Twitter: @kev_incredulous