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Lego mania at the museum

Britannia museum plastic-block display on the history of mining

Half of Keith Reed's living room in his basement apartment is filled with boxes of neatly organized Lego.

"I have stuff on display too," the 29-year-old said. "I have a four-foot-long star destroyer. That was one I wanted forever."

Three years ago, while randomly searching online for Lego activities in the Lower Mainland, Reed signed up with the Vancouver Lego Club. Now he's the vice-president of the volunteer organization.

Like most people, Reed's love of the building block toy runs back to childhood. He's pieced together the little plastic components as far back as he can remember. Lego is as limitless as one's imagination, he said.

"I like building icon things and transforming it into Lego," Reed added.

This month Reed and club members are demonstrating their Lego skills at the Britannia Mine Museum. The crew has pieced together a model of the history of mining, starting with the Incas in South America. Four scenes - including the Roman era, the gold rush and modern-day mining - are depicted in a four-by-six-foot model.

Volunteers began working on the display at home. In late February, they met at the mine museum to assemble the overall piece.

"I helped build the Roman and the Inca one," Reed said.

This is the second time the Lego club has made a visit to the Britannia Beach museum. Members were excited to build Lego based on a mining theme, Reed said.

"We've got a lot of mining fans in the club," he said. "We've got members that gold pan for fun; the itch of hitting it rich. It is a theme that we never really get to build in."

The Lego showcase will be up until April 6. It runs in tandem with a Lego figures scavenger hunt, said Michele Chan, the museum's exhibit and program co-ordinator.

"It will be here all though spring break for the kids," she noted.

In the scavenger hunt, little Lego figures, tiny trucks and Lego mining equipment has been placed around the museum. If participants find at least 14 of the 20 items, they are entered for a chance to win a Lego prize, Chan said.

"There are even figures hidden in our underground tour," she added.

For more information visit www.britanniaminemuseum.ca.

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