At the new Lego Maniac Clubhouse at Legoland, members will have the opportunity to meet and learn from actual Lego Master Model Builders. They'll also be invited to be the first to view new-for-2000 Lego products. They'll get hands-on with new high-tech Lego Mindstorms robotics, play the latest Lego Media games on a larger-than-life screen and rub elbows with professional model builders and other enthusiasts.

All Lego Maniacs will be invited to participate in building the "World's Longest Lego Millipede" in an effort to shatter the previous world record of 1,982 feet. To break this record, kids will need to build a millipede long enough to stretch close to three football fields in length. Everyone will be encouraged to take part in this massive building project which will start at the front of the Park and snake its way up, over and around the Tike Hike.

"We're extremely excited about the first Lego Maniac Kidvention," said Brad Justus, Senior Vice President of Lego Direct. "This event will bring together Lego fans from throughout the Americas who have a common passion --Lego. It's also an opportunity for us to communicate with our enthusiasts and expand the Lego community."

Space is limited, so Lego Maniacs are encouraged to pre-register with the San Diego Travel Group at 888-711-8877. Guests can register for The Lego Maniac Kidvention, book a flight and/or reserve a hotel. They can also send an e-mail to San Diego Travel Group at [email protected]. The first 500 to pre-register receive a free gift.

Legoland California is a 128-acre family theme park dedicated to youngsters between the ages of 3 and 12. Just like with Lego toys, kids are the ones who make things happen at the Park. They drive, pedal, squirt, climb, jump, stomp, slide, steer, pull, click, push, gallop, laugh, build and program their way through more than 40 rides and attractions. There are only two other Legoland parks in the world -- Legoland Billund in Denmark, and Legoland Windsor outside of London. A fourth Legoland is under construction near Gunzburg, Germany, and is scheduled to open in 2003. Legoland Californiais part of Global Family Attractions, a division of the Lego Company.

Lego Systems, Inc. (LSI) is the Americas (North America and Latin America)division of the Lego Company, a privately-held firm based in Billund, Denmark. The Lego Company employs more than 2,000 people in the Americas --approximately one half of whom work at LSI's 203-acre headquarters in Enfield, Connecticut. LSI manufactures more than 2.7 billion Lego elements each year. The Lego Company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: "Only the best is good enough."

[Updated 4/18/2000]