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59 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 14, 2004 Peyton Mertens, 9, and Nick Fronek, 10, assemble their imaginations with Lego pieces at Saturday�s Lego Build-A-Thon at Ashland�s A Street Market Place. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Creativity, one piece at a time By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune Peyton Mertens’ fantastical car has a propeller in back and a shield in front. "To protect it from guns," he explains. "It’s a battle car." Peyton, 9, of Medford, is among the young Legomaniacs who shows up for a Legos challenge at the A Street Market Place in Ashland on Saturday. "The propeller makes it go really fast," he says. Advertisement Craig Fronek, a Medford-based marketer riding herd on the competition, says it’s open to kids of all ages and has plenty of prizes to offer, including one in the coveted "Most Creative" category. He crosses up the kids at the start by collecting the Legos they’d brought and passing each set out to a different youngster. "That’s so you don’t fall back on your old favorites," he said. If the goal is to promote creativity, there seems to be no shortage. Mertens says his battle car is used in the Navy. "It, like, drives around and goes fast," he says. Oh, and another thing. "It can fly." "Cool," opines Colton Mann, 9, of Ashland. Legos were invented in 1932 in Denmark. The name came two years later from the Danish words "Leg Godt," or "play well." By the 1950s, plastic bricks replaced wooden ones, and by the ’70s the things were everywhere. Today, software enables enthusiasts of all ages to play with virtual Legos. But Constance Mertens, Peyton’s grandmother, says Peyton loves his low-tech, toy building blocks as much as any of the latest electronic gizmos. "He’s extremely creative," she says. "He makes robots, helicopters, Ferris wheels." Nick Fronek, 10, of Medford, creates a large, gray-walled structure with narrow windows resembling a medieval castle. "It’s an intergalactic prison," he says. "That’s a laser, and that’s a shield." And what’s an intergalactic prison? "It’s for intergalactic bad guys," Nick says. The Legos event is one of a series of programs aimed at popularizing the A Street Market Place as a center for family and kid activities. It occupies the site of an old tank and steel works. Recent events have included storytelling for the younger set on the second and fourth Fridays of the month, and a kids’ art show the first Friday of the month. An old-time fiddlers’ group will play once a month, and Legos may return. For more information, call 772-8180. Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times