by Gloria Vanderbrick, Bricklyn Eagle People in the News correspondent
A Rogue Schoolers couple considering the day’s travel plans during their visit to the Realm of Alsbrique in France. Note: all photos in this post based on design and content input from W. Senville with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
After last year’s integration of the Realm of Bricklyn into the French Republic (as part of France Outre-Mer) there has been a surge in Bricklynites traveling to the French Inland Realms. In part this has been the result of efforts by the non-profit Rogue Schoolers organization.
According to Hans Brickelmann, CEO of Rogue Schoolers, “we’re meeting the demand of Bricklynites from all walks of life to learn more about our new French friends.”
The new generation of Brick Air overseas jets. Photo courtesy of Brick Air.
Brickelmann also noted that “Rogue Schoolers has opened its trips to France to people of all ages, expanding on our traditional base of travelers over 50 years of age.”
Another important factor in the travel boom has been the roll out of Brick Air’s new high speed jet planes, which have cut travel time from Bricklyn to Strasbrick in half — from 30 hours to just under 15.
Thanks to assistance from the Bricklyn Office of Outland Affairs, Rogue Schoolers has informally paired several of its itineraries with those of the Outland “Road Scholars” organization.
Several Bricklynites walking between canal locks, led by their guide Sammy Brickner (wearing her everyday hat and neck wrap).
➤ As reporter of this story, I have to acknowledge my bafflement about the name “Road Scholars,” as participants in Road Scholars travel programs are rarely scholars of transportation, let alone of vehicular transportation. — G.V.
One of the recent Rogue Schooler programs involved a trip to the Alsbrique region of France. As a group of Road Scholars followed almost the identical itinerary, we encourage you to read the informative, yet engaging, trip reports by tour participant Wayne Senville that the Lake Champlain chapter of The Alliance Française has posted on its website. The name Senville should sound familiar to our Bricklyn readers as Mr. Senville also serves as the Vermont-based Outland Liaison to Bricklyn’s Office of Outland Affairs.
Vermont Bricklynites had several opportunities during their trip to meet up with new friends from the Realm of Alsbrique, France. In this initial meeting the Alsbriquians wore traditional attire, while the Bricklynites also wore their own traditional attire.
Bricklynites looking up at Alsbrique’s famous Petit Château Brickingsbourg.
We caught up with Mr. Senville yesterday, shortly after his daily afternoon siesta.
Senville told us he was able to meet up with the Bricklyn Rogue Schoolers group several times because of his status as Outland Liaison. But, as he explained, “because of Bricklyn privacy laws, I was not able to share knowledge of these rendezvous during my trip with anyone in our Road Scholars group. I hope others in our group understand that while I would have liked to have had them meet the Bricklynites, this was just not possible.”
However, as Senville noted, “now that the trip is over, I can share some of the photos I took of the Bricklyn Rogue Schoolers, led by their excellent guide, ‘Sammy’ Brickner.” We’ve inserted several of Senville’s AI-assisted photos into this post.
Fourteen Bricklyn Rogue Schoolers say farewell to the Mad Elaine and several of its crew. The Mad Elaine served as the Bricklynites’ “péniche-croisière” during most of their time in Alsbrique.
Bricklyn Alliance Française members celebrate the dedication of the organization’s completely renovated offices, classrooms, and cinema/theater.
We should also note the active role that both the Bricklyn Chamber of Commerce and the Bricklyn Chapter of the Alliance Française has played in strengthening links between the Realm of Bricklyn and several French realms, including the Realm of Alsbrique.
Note from Editor Walt Brickman: for today’s edition of The Bricklyn Eagle we’ve invited the Chief Historian of the Realm of Bricklyn, Winifred Tiler Jackson, to share her understanding of one of the most important buildings in Bricklyn, the Longhouse.
Outland readers who travel to Bricklyn should understand that they cannot visit the Longhouse, as it is located in that portion of the Realm that lies outside the Great Wall of Bricklyn, an area that remains off-limits to Outland visitors. Nevertheless, we hope Jackson’s insights, and the accompanying images, will give you at least some understanding of this special structure.
The Bricklyn Longhouse: Its Design, Uses, and Historical Significance by Winifred Tiler Jackson Chief Historian of the Realm of Bricklyn and teacher of history at Bricklyn Hight School
Winifred Tiler Jackson, Chief Historian of the Realm of Brickly, in her classroom at Bricklyn High School. Credit: The Bricklyn Eagle’s Ann Tiler Anderson, with help from Dall E-3 AI.
In an earlier article published in The Bricklyn Eagle, “Understanding the Great Wall of Bricklyn,”I touched on some of the history of the LEGO peoples who lived where the city of Bricklyn now stands.
Quite a few of today’s Bricklynites are descendants of those late 18th century pioneers, who were called the “Little Vermonters” — a name long since supplanted by the appellation “Bricklynites” (just as the location first known as Little Vermont was, in 1812, renamed Bricklyn).
➤ As is the practice of most contemporary Bricklyn historians, we shall refer to the “Little Vermonters” here as “early Bricklynites,” as these people were never legally considered Vermonters either during the days of the Vermont Republic or after Vermont was admitted as a State in 1791 — this despite the heroic service of many of them with Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys during the Revolutionary War.
Visualization of Colonial-era early Bricklynites alongside a section of The Great Wall of Bricklyn. Prepared by Dall E-3 AI. based on informational prompts from Bricklyn Chief Historian W.T. Jackson.
The original Bricklyn Longhouse was built in 1772 and — quite unfortunately — demolished in 1897.
The only sketch of this longhouse known to remain (and held in the Bricklyn archives) is shown on the right.
This longhouse bore a resemblance in shape to Iroquois / Haudenosaunee📍 longhouses with their curved, barrel shaped roofs. The current Bricklyn Longhouse, built in 1987, has a style which departs from this, in part as it includes a second floor.
📍 What many still refer to as the Iroquois Confederacy is more often now called by its native name, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which will be used in this article. The Haudenosaunee call themselves, “The People of the Longhouse” or “the people who are building the longhouse.”
A Bricklyn Federal Council meeting being held in the Bricklyn High School auditorium, for many years the location for Federal Council meetings. Photo from Bricklyn Eagle archives dated October 5, 1963; with assistance from GPT-4o AI.
As Bricklyn grew in size, it outgrew its longhouse. In 1895, the Annual Town Meeting was shifted to the auditorium of the newly built Bricklyn High School.
As can be seen from this photo, the auditorium is a rather drab space without much character, and with no historical connection to longhouses.
It was not until some ninety years later — following a surge in LEGO migrants from Denmark — that plans were set in motion to build a new public meeting space. More on the resulting “1987 Bricklyn Longhouse” shortly.
➤ So readers are clear, from this point on when I refer to the “Bricklyn Longhouse,” I will be referring to the Longhouse, built in 1987, and in use today.
Why Bricklyn Uses a Longhouse for Public Meetings
One of the cherished traditions followed by early Bricklynites was the use of a longhouse for many of their public meetings. This practice was revived with the opening of Bricklyn’s new longhouse in 1987. Today’s Bricklyn Longhouse has served as a good fit for public meetings, as well as for other functions.
Allow me to make three observations:
First, the Bricklyn Longhouse harkens back to longhouses found in rural Denmark, the place from which many early Bricklynites emigrated. While research indicates that these Viking-era longhouses were typically used for housing, they often included livestock stables; a workspace for weaving; and storage of tools and foodstuffs. Some also served as a social and meeting place for feasts and community decisions. These longhouses remained an important historical and cultural memory for quite a few Bricklynites.
Photo of the 1987 Bricklyn Longhouse by The Bricklyn Eagle’s Ann Tiler Anderson, with help of GPT-4o AI.
Above: the warm glow of the Bricklyn Longhouse on a Winter night invites people to attend the public meeting inside. More about the importance of the Longhouse’s scenic location later in this article.
Second, the Bricklyn Longhouse honors the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The Confederacy was well known to early Bricklynites, especially merchants, as it covered a wide swath of central New York State into southern Ontario. Made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations, the Confederacy (as noted on the Haudenosaunee website) remains to this day “one of the first and longest lasting participatory democracies in the world.”
The design of the Bricklyn Longhouse draws on several features of meetings of the Haudenosaunee Grand Council. More on this in the next section of this article.
Third, the annual meetings of the Realm of Bricklyn held in the Bricklyn Longhouse largely follow the format of New England town meetings.
New England town meetings typically occur annually, with a moderator and members of the Board of Selectmen (the governing body) present, along with the entire community. Decision-making at town meetings is placed in the hands of town residents 18 years and older. The community, at the town meeting, elects both the meeting’s moderator and the members of the town Board of Selectmen; adopts the annual budget; and can act on a range of other matters. These town meeting practices have also been followed in Bricklyn.
The Uses & Design of the Bricklyn Longhouse
Moshi Saftbrick working on his recent “donut tower” project. Credit Office of Moshi Saftbrick, with help from Dall E-3 AI.
The Bricklyn Longhouse, planned by the then young Bricklyn architect Moshi Saftbrick, opened in 1987.
While the Longhouse is the site of the annual Meeting of the Realm, it also hosts quarterly meetings of the Bricklyn Federal Council, as well as monthly meetings of the Bricklyn Planning Commission.
But quite importantly, the Longhouse is also used almost daily for a wide assortment of events, making it a true community hub. These range from hosting meetings of civic organizations such as the Legotary, to Friday night hoedowns, to drawing classes, and much more. In this way, the Bricklyn Longhouse has become a vital part of community life.
Kids at play, building a LEGO longhouse on the second floor of the Bricklyn longhouse. Photo by Ann Tiler Anderson, with help from GPT-4o AI.
A highly appreciated section of the Bricklyn Longhouse is its second floor playroom, often used by children while parents are attending a meeting on the ground floor of the Longhouse.
Another key feature of the Longhouse is the central fire that remains lit during all Federal Council meetings held there.
According to Saftbrick, this design feature has its roots in the central fire at Haudenosaunee Grand Council meetings: “The [Confederacy] meetings were held around the eternal fire of the Confederacy, which the Onondaga nation was tasked with maintaining. … The enduring flame of the Council fire to this day represents the unbroken spirit and resilience of the Haudenosaunee people.” Moshi Saftbrick, On Designing a Contemporary Public Meeting Space for the Realm of Bricklyn (Bricklyn University Press, 1991), 134. See also William Fenton, The Great Law and the Longhouse: A Political History of the Iroquois Confederacy (University of Oklahoma Press, 1998), 102.
A quarterly meeting of the Realm of Bricklyn Federal Council in the longhouse. Note the central fire / eternal flame; the use of a horseshoe shaped table; the provision of donuts and coffee; and the use of ceremonial Viking-style headwear. Explanations of the purpose for each are described below. Photo by Bricklyn Eagle photographer Ann Tiler Anderson, with help of GPT-4o AI.
➤ As a side note, there is a second eternal light in Bricklyn, the “Ner Tamid” (“eternal light” in Hebrew) found in the main sanctuary of Temple Beth-Shalom in front of the Holy Ark. As Rabbi Rachel B. Weinstein explains, “this light symbolizes God’s eternal presence, and is thus never extinguished.”
“Another meeting room detail that is too often given little thought,” says architect Saftbrick, “is the design and placement of the table council or board members are seated at.” Saftbrick, On Designing, 133. On this point, public involvement expert Elaine Cogan, decried the common practice of board members being seated on a raised dais “high above and yards away from anyone who might want to approach them.” See “Welcoming the Public,” in Planning Commissioners Journal #6 (September/October 1992); Saftbrick, On Designing, 135.
The horseshoe shaped tablebuilt for the Bricklyn Longhouse also relates to the Haudenosaunee practice of having chiefs of the nations comprising the Confederacy face each other, sometimes across the fire, instead of being seated in a row. See Fenton, The Great Law, 212. As Saftbrick observed “using a horseshoe shaped table also makes face-to-face conversations much easier to have.” On Designing, 136.
Donuts & coffee are provided just outside the longhouse’s main meeting room. Photo by Ann Tiler Anderson, with help from Dall E-3 AI.
When public meetings are held In the Longhouse, donuts and coffee are also available, not just to those at the table, but to all members of the public.
As Elaine Cogan noted, the provision of light refreshments can boost attendance at public meetings and provide for a more relaxed environment. See “Enticements Needed to Woo the Public,” in Planning Commissioners Journal #63, Summer 2006.
As can be seen the Bricklyn adaptation of this helmet is not as detailed as the Veksø helmet. Illustration above prepared with assistance of GPT-4o AI.
In the Bricklyn Longhouse meeting room photo (scroll back up the page), you can also see that elected officials, when meeting in the Longhouse, don ceremonial Viking-style helmets, loosely modeled after the ancient Veksø helmets unearthed in Denmark. Their use gives another point of connection to the Danish origins of many Bricklynites.
Interestingly, Haudenosaunee chiefs wore deer antlers during Council meetings. “Symbolic antlers of office marked the chiefs … . Chiefs are crowned with antlers, they are dehorned for misconduct.” Fenton, The Great Law, 102.
Also important to the success of the Bricklyn Longhouse is its scenic location in Westside Park, bordering beautiful Lake of the Pines. See photo earlier in this article.
“A building is diminished,” said Longhouse architect Saftbrick,” if it is not located in a compatible environment … the design team received public feedback that many wanted the new structure to be in an area close to nature; a place with a calming spirit.” Saftbrick, On Designing, 33.
In reviewing potential locations, it quickly became apparent that a wooded site in Westside Park by Lake of the Pines would be ideal. What’s more, the site was close to Bricklyn’s bike and pedestrian pathway and to public transit.” Saftbrick, On Designing, 34-36.
Schematic rendering of the 1987 Bricklyn Longhouse. The Longhouse at LEGO scale is 60 in. long x 7 in. wide (converting to human scale, that would be 180 ft. long x 20 ft. wide). Credit: Office of Moshi Saftbrick; with help from GPT-4o AI.
The design of the Bricklyn Longhouse drew inspiration from Haudenosaunee and Danish sources:
“It is important,” Saftbrick wrote, “to honor our past in our design of public meeting spaces, while meeting current and future needs of the community. This does not mean slavishly copying past designs, but instead, designing new public buildings that provide a sense of continuity married to a vision for the future.” Saftbrick, On Designing, 137.
This point is echoed by the authors of A Pattern Language — Towns, Buildings, Construction, who note that: “People cannot maintain their spiritual roots and their connections to the past if the physical world they live in does not also sustain these roots.” Christopher Alexander et al., A Pattern Language. (Oxford University Press, 1997),132.
To the Editor: Bravo to Ms. Jackson for her account of longhouses, in particular the 1987 Bricklyn Longhouse. It was fascinating to read how young Moshi Saftbrick came up with the design. I’ve been to many functions at the Longhouse, and it really has a warmth and character rarely found in contemporary buildings. — Alan Freebrick, South Bricklyn, VT
To the Editor: I had Ms. Jackson as my 9th grade history teacher a few years ago. She’s great at explaining things, and got me interested in learning more about the Outland world. I’ve also been to some events at the Longhouse, I especially like the poetry readings they hold there every month. Nice to listen to poems with friends, with the fire blazing away in the front of the main room. — Alice Plater Sorenson, Bricklyn, VT
To the Editor: My Mom said it was OK for me to write to you, and she’s checking what I wrote before I send this to you. I think it’s me in the picture you have of kids playing in the upstairs part of the Longhouse. I like being there with friends. Hope you like the Longhouse LEGO model we were building. It came out just right, and we now have it on display in the Red Brick School. I’m in fourth grad there. — Nellie B. Thompson, Bricklyn Jct., VT.
Reply from the Editor: Thank you so much for your letter Nellie. For readers who might be interested, Nellie is the girl with blonde hair in the photo we published (with permission of all the children’s parents).
To the Editor: While I like the Longhouse, I do question your putting such a positive light on architect Moshi Saftbrick, given his proposal last year for the design of a skyscraper topped with a donut-shaped revolving restaurant, which would have required tearing down an historic building in the heart of downtown Bricklyn Junction. So much for Mr. Saftbrick’s remarks about the value of “historic continuity.” Fortunately the donut skyscraper project was rejected by the Federal Council. Wish Mr. Saftbrick had stuck to designing longhouses, instead of becoming a “starchitect”! — Larry B. Larsen, Bricklyn, VT.
by Gloria Vanderbrick, The Bricklyn Eagle’s culture & entertainment correspondent.
Do you know the name of Bricklyn’s favorite TV game show? If you’re from Bricklyn, the answer is obvious: it’s Brickardy.
Outlanders quickly realize, if they chance to drop in to a bar like the Bricklyn Alehouse while Brickardy is on, that they don’t need any explanation of how the game show works.
All photos in this post by The Bricklyn Eagle, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
Bricklynites from all walks of life dream of being contestants.
You can be a history teacher; a llama herder; a weaver; a grocer; a recycler; a spa manager; a scientist; an EMT tech; or a meteorologist. You can be anything and be on Brickardy!
W.T. Jackson, History TeacherMaria Brickosa, Llama HerderFrances B. Ireland, WeaverL. P. Liget, GrocerMerry B. Days, Spa Mgr.Fred B. Green, RecyclerBernard Bricklee, ScientistMindy B. Ware, EMS TechTiler Brickoski, Meteorologist
I sat down with Brickardy host Zen Brickthings for a short interview.
Gloria Vanderbrick for The Bricklyn Eagle: Hi Zen. Let me start off by asking you just why you think Brickardy has been such a popular show.
Zen Brickthings: I believe, Gloria, that it’s primarily because of the incredible knowledge and humor of the host! Of course I’m kidding about that … or am I? But really, we have great contestants who know lots and lots of stuff about Bricklyn; and even have a surprising depth of knowledge about the Outland world, which, as you know, we sometimes ask about.”
Zen Brickthings, host of Brickardy.
Most importantly, our viewers love to play along with the game at home, or with friends at, say, the Bricklyn Alehouse. Some will shout out their responses. It almost seems like we can hear them miles away in our studio.
Many viewers marvel at our contestants’ knowledge, and sometimes after a broadcast will look up questions covered in the evening’s show.
Last, but not least, Bricklynites enjoy seeing friendly competition, where no one has a bad word to say about their fellow contestants.
Gloria Vanderbrick: Zen, who prepares all those challenging Brickardy questions? Don’t you run out of ideas?
Zen Brickthings: We’ve got a staff of hundreds who mine every conceivable source of trivia. I jest. It’s just a dedicated staff of three. They’re all Bricklyn trivia nerds, and you might even remember them as former Brickardy champions. So I guess being on our staff is a great career option for some of our contestants! As an aside, I should note that I sometimes wonder how anyone so addicted to trivia has time to work at a full-time job. But that was also me before I landed this gig as the show’s host!
We use the 40 volume Encyclopedia of the Realm of Bricklyn as one of our primary sources, and it includes over 5,000 separate entries. What’s more, it’s supplemented by a wide array of other sources we use — yes that even includes The Bricklyn Eagle — especially when we’re looking to deal with current topics, say, involving music or entertainment.
Brickardy staff working out possible questions and answers for future shows.
Gloria Vanderbrick: I know that Brickardy is no longer a “Bricklyn only” game show. Just how popular has Brickardy become?
Zen Brickthings: Brickardy’s popularity is unmatched among Bricklyn game shows, being ranked most popular the last ten years. This has led to close adaptations of Brickardy in two dozen other Inland Realms. In fact, next Spring there will the first “League of Inland Cities Tournament of Champions.” So those of you in other Inland Realms, stay tuned.
Three contestants in the 2024 Brickardy Teen Challenge.
Gloria Vanderbrick: One more question for you Zen. What’s one of your favorite things about hosting Brickardy?
Zen Brickthings: I’d say it’s the chance to host our annual Brickardy Teen Challenge, now in its fourth year.
The Teen Challenge gives our viewers the chance to see that we have high school students here in Bricklyn who know quite a lot about our Realm, and even about the Outland world beyond us. And it’s good to see that young people can enjoy immersing themselves in a wide variety of subjects.
Gloria Vanderbrick: That’s great to hear! Now Zen, my Editor told me that you’d have a surprise for me tonight.
Zen Brickthings:Yes I do Gloria. Walt Brickman asked me to let you know that as part of a joint project of Brickardy and The Bricklyn Eagle, you’ve been given the assignment of interviewing the nine past Brickardy contestants whose photos are featured near the top of this post. That includes a history teacher; a llama herder; a textile artist; a grocer; a recycling technician; a spa manager; a scientist; an EMT; and a meteorologist — in other words a wide variety of Bricklynites, not just famous celebrities like me.
Gloria Vanderbrick: Actually that should be a very enjoyable assignment. But when you mentioned a big surprise I thought you’d meant I’d be a contestant on Brickardy!
Zen Brickthings: If you complete this new assignment, I’m sure that can also be arranged.
GloriaVanderbrick: Now that’s something worth looking forward to!
Editor’s Note: We also look forward to Vanderbrick’s reporting. Too often in our paper we’ve focused on celebrities, politicians, and others who are “in the news.” We hope that our Outland readers will get a better feel for what life in Bricklyn is like by Vanderbrick interviewing a cross-section of Bricklynites — though admittedly a cross-section of people who are a bit on the nerdy side!
To the Editor: Brickardy’s a great family show! So glad you ran this article. I’m already looking forward to Ms. Vanderbrick’s interviews with past Brickardy contestants — great idea. One day I’ll screw up the courage to try out for the show. I especially like categories involving history, and am glad to see you’ll be featuring “Winny” Tiler Jackson. Winny happens to be my son’s (excellent) 9th grade history teacher. As some of your paper’s readers may know, she also volunteers time as Chief Historian of the Realm of Bricklyn. It will be a treat to learn more about Winny. — Sofia Plater Wright, Bricklyn, Vermont
To the Editor: So glad to have Zen Brickthings as host. He certainly has been ably filling the shoes of long-time host, the late Alec Trebrick. I heard that Brickthings was president of the trivia club at Bricklyn University — one more piece of trivia to know! — Thomas Tiler Tillman, Bricklyn Jct., Vermont.
