The Dowagiac District Library has just the cure for local children suffering from a little cabin fever over their extended break from school next week.

The library will host its first LEGO building contest from 1-5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29, upstairs in its children’s section. Children of all ages are invited to participate in the free contest, with the top winners receiving special prizes, said Children’s Librarian Alma Adams.

Each participant will be given a set of around 100 pieces of the popular construction toys to use for the competition. From there, kids will have 45 minutes to build whatever their heart desires.

The entries will be judged by the library staff later that day, with the winners announced via the library Facebook page. Every participant will earn a prize just for entering, Adams said.

“It’s a creative way to get kids into the library,” Adams said of the contest. “By the second week of Christmas break, a lot of kids will need something to entertain them.”

The recent marriage between the popular brand of toys and the local library has been quite successful. Earlier this year, the library brought in Michael Conner, owner of the local Bricks 4 Kidz program, who hosted an interactive educational event using LEGOs. The event was so successful that they brought the program back for a second time, Adams said.

“Every time he comes it gets a good response for our kids,” Adams said. “So we thought ‘why not do a contest?’”

Depending on the amount of kids who show up for the event on Tuesday, the library could incorporate LEGOs even more heavily into their programming for kids, Adams said.

For more information about this or future library events, people can visit the library’s Facebook page or their website, www.dowagiacdl.org.