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Yonkers Lego Fans Compete To Be Brick Master

YONKERS, N.Y. – Yonkers resident Griffith Derrick added the finishing touches to a train and railroad tracks made of Legos just as his allotted half hour was up.

Yonkers resident Griffith Derrick built a train on railroad tracks during Saturday's lego competition.

Yonkers resident Griffith Derrick built a train on railroad tracks during Saturday's lego competition.

Photo Credit: Meredith Shamburger

“Everything's trial and error when it comes to Legos,” he said. “So in the time that I had, I was like 'Let's see what I can do here.'”

Derrick's train was one of several Lego creations during the first round of Saturday's Lego “Brick Factor” competition. The two-day program is being held at Ridge Hill in Yonkers and will continue Sunday at 1 p.m. on Rebel Street.

The competition's winner will be crowned the Master Model Builder for the new Legoland Discovery Center Westchester. The Master Model Builder is a full-time, salaried employee working to develop features and exhibitions.

Yonkers resident Samson Foley was another Lego fan looking for a job Saturday. He spent the first round building a space shuttle. Foley wasn't sure he had the creativity to be the master builder, but he said he was a big fan of Legos.

Yonkers resident Danny Di Mella also grew up playing with Legos alongside his grandmother. Di Mella fashioned a trolley out of his Legos, making sure to put seats inside. He credited the Ridge Hill trolley as his inspiration.

Sleepy Hollow resident Vincent Savino reluctantly competed in the competition after first thinking it was just going to be a family event, he said. Savino says his two kids are bigger Lego fans and would probably win if they could have competed.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said, later adding “The two of them are much better at it than I am.”

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