Today is International Lego day!
We here at Camp Foley love Legos! And in 2016 we made this love permanent by creating a whole building designed for using and storing Legos! So today I’d like to take some time to talk about our Lego Room.
The Lego room has a very interesting history. It was once Father Foley’s ice house. Back before freezers were very popular around Minnesota and the midwest, people would build ice houses. An ice house would hold large chunks of ice that people would cut from the frozen lakes around Minnesota. The ice would be put in a very air tight ice house and would keep frozen for many months after winter had ended. Ice houses were used to hold ice for cooking and drinks, and also for meat and perishable food storage, just like a freezer would be used today.
In 2016, the Foley Ice house was transferred from our Echo Lake property to the east side of Foley Green, in the spring time. Maintenance Mike and a camper dad did a lot of work on the building before it was ready for Legos. They sanded, chinked, caulked, stained, built a window with old fashioned cranks, built a screen door, built a deck, downed trees for lumber, and added a pop of red to the door to get this new Lego Room prepared for campers.
The Foley Lego Room is a favorite among many campers! It is usually open when the kids have free time through the day, and is a great place for campers to come unwind and destress. We think Legos are perfect for any campers, of any age or gender.
A special aspect of the Lego Room are all the collectible and limited edition builds on display on the shelves within the building. We have sets ranging from Medieval Castles, to Harry Potter at Hogwarts, and even star wars Jedi! Most of these sets were donated or loaned to camp by our campers and alumni. With some very special sets coming from our director Alli Faricy herself.
We can’t wait for this summer to hear the Lego room full of campers again, and if you ever stop by for a tour, we’d love to show you inside this awesome building. Happy International Lego Day everyone!