ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Delta County resident is crafting an intricate LEGO display to show at regional conventions this spring and summer.
Kate Oman is what’s known as an AFOL—an Adult Fan of LEGO. She is a member of FoxLUG, which is a LEGO User Group made up of AFOLs from Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula, and parts of Illinois.
Oman has been building a steampunk city since 2021. Each structure within the city is entirely Oman’s own creation, with no pre-designed sets included. For example, she transformed planets from a 2002 Star Wars set into air globes for the top of an airship.
“When I initially started building this city, I used a couple LEGO-licensed sets and altered them,” Oman said. “Now, I’ve eliminated those from my city. I want it to be completely me, 100%.”
Oman is still building onto the city. Friday through Monday, the Bonifas Arts Center held an artist retreat. Oman, the gallery director at the Bonifas, used the opportunity to construct some new additions.
“There’s over 20 buildings,” said Oman. “My friend and I did a LEGO color palette of each building to show what I have. I can have an industrial section, a dock side, a ritzy side, and I can look and see what clashes. If I have too much color in one space, maybe I need to punch it up with another color someplace else.”
Oman will display a portion of the steampunk city at BAY-CON, hosted by Bay College’s Escanaba campus, on May 1 and 2. Five other FoxLUG members will also bring their creations. Then, Oman will take her city to Brickworld Chicago—the largest convention in the U.S. for AFOLs—and Bay Beach in Green Bay.
“It started out as just a nice little four-foot by one base plate wide little city, and now it’s expanded into two tables worth of fun and adventure,” Oman said. “I’m using it to bring joy to other people, so I’m really excited to be able to show off my passion. I love LEGO!”
To learn more about this year’s BAY-CON, visit baycollege.edu or click here.
