Momentum is building after Minnesota's first-ever Lego convention
EAGAN, Minn. – Wide eyes were prevalent at "Brick Convention" Sunday in Eagan.
"We received so many emails from local fans, like, 'Please come up here, we need a convention,'" said BrickCon founder Greyson Riley. "We were sold out for almost two months before the event."
This event is clicking in its first year. There were guest appearances from Lego celebrities, even art featuring Mickey Mantle, Mickey Mouse and Taylor Swift. It was entertainment that's inspiring.
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"I have so many architects and engineers come up to me and say, 'Lego is why I'm doing what I'm doing now,'" said Riley, who has been putting on Lego conventions since he was 14. "That's the very reason that I'm doing these events."
Each creation is as impressive as the next, spanning from video game franchises to a galaxy far, far away.
"And then there's Darth Maul and Obi Wan Kenobi," pointed out a dad to his daughter.
"My favorite model that I've ever built is this Commander Cody helmet," said Christopher Gearhart, owner of Bricker Builds, a staple at conventions like these.
It all started two years ago for Gearhart, with a sculpture of a helmet.
"I posted this to Instagram and it got a massive following. And so I realized that people really wanted to build these things that I had in my imagination," Gearhart said.
Building together, brick by brick.
"They come get inspired, and they go home with this new sense of inspiration and excitement to build their own creations," Riley said.
A portion of Brick Conventions' proceeds go to a charity that provides Lego sets to underprivileged kids around the world.