603 BRIX

10/14/2026

The reality of looking for LEGO at the Goodwill bins. 😂🧱

For every handful of LEGO bricks, there’s a whole lot of digging through random toys, broken pieces, hangers, train cars, and things you can’t even identify!

It’s not always pretty, and you definitely don’t find LEGO in every bin. But when you’re doing this for 603 BRIX, every little piece counts.

I’m out here hunting for LEGO so kids across New Hampshire can have more opportunities to build, create, and use their imaginations.

I’m hustling for LEGO so kids don’t have to. ❤️🧱

10/07/2026

🧱 🩵

✈ "With a bucket of Lego, you can tell any story. You can build an airplane or a dragon or a pirate ship - it's whatever you can imagine." Christopher Miller - The Lego Movie Director 🐉

Come and play with us on Monday October 12th courtesy of 603 BRIX. And follow the page or join the our newsletter to keep up to date on library events! 👉 https://wowbrary.org/signup.aspx

10/03/2026

❤️ This morning was one of those moments that reminds me why we started 603 BRIX.

I spent the morning boxing up LEGO we’ve collected from Goodwill Northern New England bins and stores throughout Southern New Hampshire this year.

We now have enough LEGO to fill 8 donation boxes, each holding approximately 25–30 lbs — roughly 200–240 lbs of LEGO ready for our 2026 New Hampshire Library Spring Drop-Off! 📦🧱

And this is only about halfway to our goal.

There’s still plenty of time to keep collecting, and our vision is getting bigger. We want to reach libraries and communities all the way north to Pittsburg and as far southeast as Portsmouth.

Because to us, these aren’t just boxes of LEGO.

They’re creativity.

They’re something for a child to build when they need somewhere to put their imagination.

They’re an opportunity for kids to create something that exists only because someone cared enough to put the pieces together.

Every pound we collect represents another opportunity to bring that experience to a community.

We started with a simple idea: help communities pick up the pieces, one brick at a time.

Today, we’re a little closer to making that idea reach even more kids across New Hampshire.

And we’re just getting started. ❤️🧱

603 BRIX
Helping communities pick up the pieces, one brick at a time.

10/02/2026

You can find some pretty neat stuff at the Goodwill bins. Other then LEGO, I look for interesting historical items. I’m sort off a history nerd and I like to find out details. I found a photo album with historical pictures of this family and asked ChatGPT to give me a little background.

“The note appears to document a McMath family trip to the Grand Canyon on February 4, 1928, specifically mentioning the Bright Angel Trail. I can research the people named in the note, but I won’t identify anyone by matching faces in the photograph”.

The handwriting appears to list:

* Neil C. McMath — “Dad”
* Robert R. (“Bob”) McMath
* Francis C. McMath — “Grandfather”
* Margaret McMath — “Mother”
* Mary McMath — “Mrs. R.R. McMath”
* Marion McMath Edwards — “Aunt Marion”
* Louise Edwada Smith — “Mrs. L.C. Smith”
* Jude — this last name/word is difficult to read with certainty.

The really interesting person: Francis C. McMath

The Francis C. McMath named here appears to be the Detroit engineer and businessman Francis Charles McMath (1867–1938). He was educated at Washington University and became president of the Canadian Bridge Company. Historical records describe him as a major figure in the bridge/structural-steel industry.

But there’s another fascinating side to him: astronomy.

Francis and his son Robert R. McMath became serious amateur astronomers in the 1920s. Francis helped finance and build increasingly sophisticated astronomical equipment, eventually leading to the McMath-Hulbert Observatory in Michigan.

Francis and Robert’s work became important enough that both received the John Price Wetherill Medal in 1933 for their scientific/technical work.

There is even a lunar crater named McMath, honoring Francis and Robert McMath.

Robert R. “Bob” McMath

This is almost certainly Robert Raynolds McMath (1891–1962), Francis’s son.

Robert was an engineer who became an important astronomer. He helped develop telescopes and equipment for photographing the Sun and Moon. He was also involved in pioneering motion-picture photography of astronomical phenomena.

Interestingly, Robert’s engineering career and his father’s business were intertwined. Robert worked with his father’s industrial interests before devoting much more of his attention to astronomy. He later became chairman of Motors Metal Manufacturing Company.

Neil C. McMath

The Neil McMath on the note also appears to be Neil C. McMath, another member of this prominent Detroit-area family.

There’s particularly strong evidence connecting him to the family: historical records identify Neil C. McMath as the husband of Margaret Kales McMath, and state that he served as chief executive of Whitehead & Kales Co. for many years. He died in 1973.

He was also one of the men involved in the early development of what became Lake Angelus, Michigan. The city’s own history names Neil C. McMath among its founders.

And there’s a neat connection to Robert and Francis: a history of the McMath-Hulbert Observatory identifies Neil C. McMath as vice-president of Whitehead and Kales, while Robert was president of the company whose shops were being used to manufacture astronomical equipment.

So this little piece of paper may be more significant than it looks

If these identifications are correct, you’re looking at a 1928 family record involving a fairly prominent Detroit industrial family, including:

Francis C. McMath → father of Robert R. McMath
Robert R. McMath → future pioneering solar astronomer
Neil C. McMath → industrial executive and Lake Angelus founder

And the date is especially interesting because 1928 was right in the middle of Francis and Robert McMath’s development of astronomical equipment. In fact, Robert was experimenting with motion pictures of the Moon that same year.

The fact that the note specifically says “Grand Canyon, Bright Angel Trail” makes me wonder whether this came from a family photo album, scrapbook, or travel diary. If you have the front/back of the photograph, any other pages from the album, or more McMath family notes, I can help piece together the family tree and potentially determine exactly who “Dad,” “Mother,” “Grandfather,” and “Aunt Marion” were in relation to the person who wrote the note.

10/01/2026

Getting some stuff done today! 💪🧱

I made a Goodwill trip to pick up a few more LEGO bricks for 603 BRIX—and I even scored a couple of Lands' End quarter-zips! 😎

If you’re looking for some awesome fall and winter clothing, check out Goodwill Northern New England. You never know what you might find! 🍂🧥

One trip, a few more bricks, and some great finds along the way. 🧱❤️

10/01/2026

October is a month of support, understanding, and celebrating resilience 💙

We recognize ADHD Awareness Month, Disability History Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and National Disability Employment Awareness Month. We celebrate National Dyslexia Awareness Month and Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, while also highlighting World Cerebral Palsy Day, World Dyslexia Awareness Day, Invisible Disabilities Week, and White Cane Awareness Day.

09/30/2026

Living with epilepsy has changed the way I experience everyday life. Certain environmental triggers can cause me to experience warning signs, including auras, brain fog, headaches, nausea, and focal-seizure symptoms. One of the most difficult parts is that something as ordinary as a smell can sometimes make me feel like I need to immediately remove myself from the situation.

For me, epilepsy isn’t just about having a seizure. It’s about constantly being aware of my surroundings and wondering what might trigger a reaction. It can affect work, social situations, and the simple freedom of being able to go wherever I want without thinking about what could happen.

But there is another part of my life that gives me a completely different feeling: 603 BRIX.

603 BRIX is much more than collecting LEGO. It represents what I have been able to build with my life. LEGO can be taken apart, rebuilt, and turned into something completely different. I see a lot of myself in that.

My goal with 603 BRIX is to help kids pick up the pieces and have opportunities that can help them believe in themselves. Every pound of LEGO we collect and every child we reach is another reminder that something positive can come from difficult circumstances.

603 BRIX gives me a purpose beyond myself. It gives me something to work toward, something I can build, and something I can give back.

My health may sometimes limit what I can do, but it doesn’t define what I can create.

I can’t control every trigger or every challenge that comes my way. What I can control is what I build from it.

And that’s what 603 BRIX means to me: turning the pieces I’ve been given into something that helps someone else build their future.

09/19/2026

We are here at Aerospace Fest 2026 at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center! 🚀 🧱 🩵

It’s a beautiful day to enjoy the event with exciting things happening inside and outside! ☀️

09/17/2026

🚀 AEROSPACEFEST 2026 IS ALMOST HERE! 🌟

Get ready for a day of space, aviation, and all things STEM at McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center! Join us Saturday, September 19th, from 10:30 AM–4:00 PM for our annual celebration of science, exploration, and community.

🎟️ Admission is open to all with a suggested donation of $5–10 per person. Enjoy hands-on STEM activities, exciting demonstrations, planetarium shows, and more!

🌌 Don't miss the day's highlights:
⭐10:30 AM – AerospaceFest begins!
⭐11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM & 3PM – Encounters in the Milky Way planetarium shows
⭐11:30 AM – Big Joe's Big Green Show
⭐1:30 PM – Alex Higgins Memorial Space Camp Scholarship Award Ceremony, followed by keynote speaker Christian Elliott of NASA's Curious Universe.

🅿️ Parking is FREE! If the Discovery Center parking lot is full, overflow parking will be available at One and Two Delta Drive, thanks to Northeast Delta Dental, and 17 Institute Drive, thanks to Police Standards & Training.

🍔 Bring some cash for lunch from The Gravy Train, Goodfellas Grab, and Good Eatz 603, plus our donation prize wheel and the Discovery Center's Science Store!

🌟Explore. Discover. Get inspired. With incredible local organizations, hands-on activities, and opportunities to learn about the science shaping our future, there's something for everyone!

We can't wait to celebrate with you! 🚀

📍 McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
📅 Saturday, September 19th, 2026
⏰ 10:30 AM–4:00 PM

👉 Visit starhop.com/aerospacefest for more information!

09/11/2026

Could 603 BRIX grow beyond New Hampshire and reach kids all across New England?

Could we build a community where donated LEGO doesn’t sit unused or get thrown away, but instead becomes a tool for creativity, learning, connection, and imagination?

I believe we can.

We’re going to keep collecting.
We’re going to keep building.
And we’re going to keep giving.

One brick, one child, and one community at a time.

Let’s see just how far 603 BRIX can go. 🧱🩵 🌻