About a dozen families help recreate the Little Silver streetscape with Legos Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Pardee; click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Finding the windows, red brick and green grass was no problem for Ryan McVeety as he tried to replicate the Markham Place School. It was sifting through a tub filled with thousands of miniature plastic pieces trying to find a cupola that posed the biggest challenge for the 15-year-old.
But he improvised, and within a couple hours, the school was planted and Ryan and his family had made their contribution to the rebuilding of Little Silver, Lego-style.
The McVeety family worked on building the Markham Place School. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
Using a simple black and white map laid out on the floor of Embury United Methodist Church, local families were tasked with a fun, creative challenge to recreate Little Silver using Legos.
“It’s simple but sweet,” said Jennifer Pardee, who organized the event to raise funds for the Little Silver Historical Society.
About a dozen families showed up to dig through buckets of the plastic building blocks to search for the right ones to replicate 30 landmarks in town, including churches, schools and municipal buildings. Then they constructed them on the map in their proper places.
The first event of its kind in town, Pardee said one aim was to offer an educational and bonding experience for parents and their children. Each structure on the list was detailed with a brief history, along with a picture.
“Hopefully the families will actually read the cards and learn about what they’re building,” Pardee said. “Kids, they don’t care. They just love using Legos.”
It was a rare opportunity for the McVeety family to break away from their busy lives and work together, said Kevin McVeety.
“So far it’s been great. We don’t get a chance to do much as a family anymore,” he said. “This is a chance to do something fun.”
At the end of the day, the plastic version of Little Silver was in place. If you missed it, the challenge will be back, Pardee said.
“After you’ve collected this many Legos, I’m using them every year,” she said.
