Sidney is using a popular children’s toy as building blocks for a new attraction on a new provincial holiday.
On the very first Family Day in B.C. — Monday, Feb. 11 — the Sidney Merchants Co-Op welcomes Canada’s only Lego pro, Robin Sather, to town to build a life-size figure at the Sidney Pier Hotel. The Family Day Lego event is a natural offshoot from the popular Lego exhibit held at the Sidney Museum in each of the last eight years.
Merchants Co-Op spokesperson Christie Hall of Midnight Design and Communication, says Co-Op member Jane Powell of Buddies Toys came up with the idea to bring in Sather from the Lower Mainland and to include more businesses in the event.
On the same day, kids (and adults) can get a treasure map and visit the Lego displays in 20 participating Sidney businesses. With a map full of signatures verifying their visits, they can be entered into a draw for prizes at the Sidney Museum.
At the Sidney Pier Hotel from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sather will build a large pirate-themed parrot. Once complete, Hall said the figure will be taken to the museum and put on display among the 300-plus models at their eighth annual Lego exhibit, on now until March 31.
“We’re expecting a really good crowd,” Hall said of the model-building at the Pier Hotel.
The event has been generating a lot of buzz for the community, she said, with two radio stations planning to be on hand and the Lego theme spreading through town. The Mary Winspear Centre is hosting its annual SidneyLand event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., which will enhance all of the local Family Day fun. Visit www.marywinspear.ca for details about SidneyLand on Feb. 11.
At the Pier Hotel’s Lego event, families can watch the fun for free. There will be a donation box out to help raise money for the Sidney Museum’s expansion plan.
“This is an absolutely fabulous place for families and kids,” Hall said of Sidney, adding this new event will help build on that theme.