WILMINGTON, DE, February 18 – Calling all LEGO fans! Kalmar Nyckel Foundation’s 10th annual LEGO Brick Shipbuilding Day returns for all ages and skill levels on Saturday, March 1 from 10:00am-3:00pm. Learn to build historic and naval LEGO ship models and build your own creation in free-play spaces at the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, 1124 East 7th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. Free admission & parking are available for this family-friendly event thanks to Kenny Family ShopRite Stores, the Kenny Family Foundation and CSC. The day culminates in prizes by age range for ships built on-site and at home (KalmarNyckel.org/legoday). LEGO robotics demonstrations by a local First LEGO League team, face painting, Duplo station for toddlers, snacks at the gift shop will be offered with fees for some activities.
“LEGO Shipbuilding Day is celebrating 10 years of exciting STEM-related LEGO fun and challenges in Wilmington – and we’re proud to support this community event as the title sponsor again this year,” says Ben Simons, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Kenny Family ShopRites of Delaware. “It gives LEGO fans of all ages the chance to explore their creativity while learning more about the Kalmar Nyckel – one of our community’s great treasures.”
To mark the 10th anniversary, a new LEGO kit of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James is being introduced at the “medium” skill level. Participants can also build STEM-based LEGO kits of Kalmar Nyckel, USS Gettysburg, CSS Virginia, USS Monitor, USS Nebraska, USS Wisconsin, and USS Maine. These kits are organized by skill level so that all ages can participate.
Interested in competing? Build a model ship in the event’s free-play area and enter it into a contest by age group. Or design a ship at home and enter a separate contest for home-built models. Entries will be judged in each category by age group, with prizes awarded at 2:30pm. No pre-registration is required and you don’t need to be present to win. Please do not bring home the LEGOs provided by KNF.
The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation (KNF) is a non-profit volunteer-based educational organization whose hallmark is hands-on learning and educational experiences for the enrichment of all. Through school field trips, community events, classroom programs, and both public and private sails, the Foundation reaches more than 30,000 people annually.KNF built, owns and operates Kalmar Nyckel, The Tall Ship of Delaware, a full-scale replica of the Swedish war ship that founded the colony of New Sweden in 1638. By delivering on its education mission, KNF provides unique learning experiences that blend the ship’s story with lessons in history, economics, science, geography, math, teamwork, perseverance, and more. These programs are taught on the ship, at the Copeland Maritime Center, and in school classrooms throughout Delaware.
Launched in 1997, Kalmar Nyckel serves as a floating classroom and an ambassador for the State, offering people of all ages a variety of sea- and land-based recreational and educational experiences. Each season, the ship travels some 2,400 nautical miles to visit ports on the Eastern Seaboard. The ship has professional officers and a crew of trained volunteers who help maintain, sail, and teach its programs. No experience is required,
and volunteers bring a wide range of skills and experiences on board. For more information on Kalmar Nyckel sails, tours, educational programs, volunteer opportunities, and its home berth at the Tatiana and Gerret Copeland Maritime Center, visit KalmarNyckel.org, call (302) 429-7447 and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
The Kenny Family currently owns and operates 6 stores throughout New Castle County, Delaware. The late founder, Bernard Kenny, opened the doors of their first two locations in 1995 and now second generation grocers, Melissa and Chris Kenny are leading the way, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the company this year.
