May the 4th be with you

Published 7:02 pm Thursday, April 23, 2020

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Builders young and old have been challenged by the Suffolk Public Library to let the Force flow through them to discover fantastic designs from a galaxy far, far away.

In honor of Star Wars Day on May 4, the library posted a video on Tuesday for its “May the 4th Virtual Building Challenge.” The video shows Library Associate Sean Dorsey building his own Star Wars LEGO creation, while wearing an appropriate, red-and-white Millennium Falcon shirt.

“We are looking for ways to keep people engaged and connected from the safety of their homes at this time,” said Adult Program Services Coordinator Jillian Zeller. “We thought that this would be a good way to bring people together and provide a creative outlet, with a hint of competition.”

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Here’s how it works: participants of all ages can use LEGO bricks, or any similar block-building system of their choice, to create something that’s inspired by their favorite Star Wars media.

The Suffolk Public Library understands that LEGOs are not accessible to everyone at this time, so Zeller is encouraging participants to “think outside the brick.”

“The typical building block is thought of as a LEGO, but that’s not so much the case here. We encourage everyone to use their creativity and imagination using any square-shaped building material,” she said.

That flexibility extends to each builder’s design choice — as long as it’s “Star Wars”-related.

“Nothing specific, just anything “Star Wars”-themed — whatever that means to you,” Zeller said.

Pictures of these finished builds must be submitted through an online form, or via email to jzeller@suffolkva.us, by the end of the day on May 2. Submissions must include the builders’ names, ages and the titles of their creations.

A compilation video of all these submissions will be posted on the Suffolk Public Library’s main Facebook page at 7 p.m. May 4. This recording will also be available for later viewing on the Facebook page.

Viewers may start voting for their favorite creations after the video is posted via a SurveyMonkey form, and the period will last until the end of the day on May 7.

“Even if you don’t participate and build anything, you can still participate by voting,” Zeller said.

The winner will then be announced via Facebook on May 8. Visit facebook.com/SuffolkPublicLibrary for more information.