CHARLESTOWN, Ind. (WDRB) -- Engineers with University of Louisville Speed School, Core Construction, and Maker 13 spent the afternoon helping 120 children build a replica of Charlestown. People with the City of Charlestown and Greater Clark County Schools Education Foundation were also in attendance.
“We are letting the future of Charlestown build the future Charlestown one Lego brick at a time,” Charlestown Mayor Treva Hodges said.
Students split into groups to design and build their version of the city with Legos. Many of the children said they had never built anything with Legos before the event.
Charlestown hosted Brick Build Clinic on June 20, 2023.
Incoming seventh grader Nehemiah Balenean inspired the event after writing a letter to Hodge.
“I told her that I wanted to build a Legoland,” Balenean said. “She responded, and said ‘that's really expensive.’”
Hodges said that while she couldn’t give him a Lego park, she did want to give Balenean and the rest of the city’s kids a Lego experience.
Balenean said this event exceeded his expectations.
“I’m pretty excited,” Balenean said. “But I feel a little nervous, because I never expected this many people. I expected about 20 to 50.”
The plans included building replicas of the new Charlestown Elementary School, the city’s square, and Rose Island Amusement Park. The kids also included special touches like a train station and a Christmas theme.
“There’s pride in building a Lego set,” Balenean said. “I like stepping back and thinking ‘Wow! I did that.’”
Hodges said this event also allowed the kids civic engagement.
“We had each group elect and appoint other children who could serve,” Hodges said. “We have a building Commissioner. We have a couple of Mayors. We've got a safety officer, and a school superintendent.”
Hodges said, for the most part, those kids then made the decisions about what to build and where to put it.
“We may have suggested a few things to them,” Hodges said. “Like maybe the donut shop should be next to the police station, but that’s about it.”
She said the children have fully immersed themselves in this project, even creating storylines for their villagers.
“There's some drama happening in the replica Mayor's office,” Hodges said. “The little boy who is putting together the mayor's office explained to me that I'm sitting at my desk enjoying a morning cup of coffee and a croissant when all of a sudden a squirrel comes in and there’s a cat jumping onto the desk to get the squirrel. This as a bad guy down below is trying to steal the key to the city.”
Hodges said she appreciates their creativity.
“It's not just that they're building these buildings,” Hodges said. “They're actually constructing entire storylines, and it’s wonderful.”
The Lego brick building camp helped kick off the events for Charlestown’s Founders Week. The display is available to look at all week long.
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