Welcome to 2020 ConnLUG

New Year, New Site, New ConnLUG

Hey AFOLs and TFOLs of ConnLUG! Happy 2020! Here we are in a new decade, the future is now! We hope that you’ve all had a nice holiday and are looking forward to all of the fun and opportunities that await us in this new year.

What’s new?

Besides the year? Tons of stuff. You may have noticed a redesign of our website. We are rocking some cool new graphics and features to improve the website’s look and feel for members and guests. There are intuitive menu options and ways to sign in, a new theme, better navigability, and more information for everyone.

We have a new LEGO® Ambassador, Valerie Nyhagen, a LEGO super fan who is new to the LUG but a life-long builder and LEGO enthusiast. Val is eager to tackle her new responsibilities starting in February and will help to build and grow the relationship between LEGO and its hometown LUG.

The committee roles that we have discussed heavily in 2019 are now a reality. Committees are formed from the volunteer members of ConnLUG who wish to leverage their skills to help the LUG. We have committees for social media, photography and videography, drafts, and special projects. Members at the January meeting have already been selected to lead these new groups and are seeking other members to join them. Dividing the work load among several volunteers helps all of us succeed and keep fun at the forefront of what we do.

Where are we headed?

ConnLUG is on the express train to success. Today, we have the most active members in our 9 year history and we continue to grow each month. We have welcomed six new members in the last quarter alone and are thrilled to have an invigoration of enthusiasm and ideas in our organization.

We recently had an amazing opportunity to work with the LEGO Life team in the Enfield, CT office to promote the Better Builder series in LEGO Life. Four of our builders were invited to LEGO HQ to demonstrate advanced building techniques on video, and as of today, those are available on the LEGO Life app for all LEGO fans to see. As the hometown LUG of LEGO, we are continuing to build and strengthen the bond and relationship between ConnLUG and LEGO. As we move into 2020, we are striving to provide more great opportunities to work directly with the LEGO community team and our members.

We have many great events planned for this year. While in the past, we have tried to attend as many events as possible, this year will be the first year where we re-focus our efforts on quality, not quantity. ConnLUG will be attending larger events like BrickFair and the Wadsworth Atheneum Festival of Trees which each draw tens of thousands of visitors. We will also be looking into other major events throughout the year, to include a LUG-wide trip to LEGOLAND NY when it opens in July.

As always, we will continue to host our monthly meetings on the third Saturday of every month, which are open to all members and guests who would like to see what ConnLUG is all about. Additionally, we will have many gatherings to build, sort parts, and participate in fun activities throughout the year. We will seek out opportunities to give back to our communities through programs with area libraries, schools, and youth groups.

We hope that you will come join us and see what all the fun is about. ConnLUG welcomes LEGO enthusiasts from all over New England ages 13 and up to share in our passion for LEGO and experience what we can do with our creativity. We look forward to an amazing year with you!

Happy Building, Play Well!

Cam Panczak
ConnLUG President

Be kind to each other. Be kind to yourself.
Happy Building, Play Well!