About PortLUG & FAQ

PortLUG is a club for Adult Fans Of LEGO® (AFOLs).  PortLUG stands for Portland LEGO User Group.

PortLUG has over three hundred members on the mailing list, the majority of whom live in the Greater Portland Area. Our meetings generally see 30-50 attendees, with many more who are otherwise active in PortLUG & events, but are unable to attend meetings regularly.

To find out more about joining PortLUG, please visit our Membership page.

We all are! PortLUG is a casual group, and while there are officers with certain responsibilities to see that things get done, anyone can bring ideas to the table and we decide and vote as a group. Your level of participation is totally up to you.

You don’t need to bring LEGO^® to every meeting, but we encourage members to bring their latest MOCs for show & tell, and perhaps even an entry into our monthly build challenge! See our Meetings page for more information about what LEGO^® to bring.

You are not required to attend meetings, but we encourage everyone to come when they can. The purpose of PortLUG is to provide a connection for adult builders, and we have several activities at each meeting to facilitate this. We understand that not everyone will be able to attend meetings, however, so members are always able to stay connected via our mailing list and updated via our Facebook page.

We meet on the second Saturday of each month, except when the meeting conflicts with major holidays or events. Meeting locations vary each month, so look to the mailing list and our Facebook page to find out more about when and where the next meeting will take place.

We have a few simple rules:

1. Members must be adults (18+). Minors are welcome to attend provided that a parent or guardian attends with them.
2. Offering LEGO for sale or trade is allowed on the email list, as is sharing information on promotions or deals. However, negotiating these sales or trades is NOT allowed on the email list – please instruct interested parties to contact you directly rather than clogging up other members’ inboxes. 
3. Posts advertising non LEGO related businesses are prohibited. The PortLUG mailing list should not be used as a source of advertising. 
4. Do not solicit the list for monetary donations to charities without either bringing it up at a meeting first, or getting permission from the club Officers to do so. 
5. Questionable, unethical, and/or illegal activities are not allowed. Members must comply with The LEGO Group’s official rules and guidelines for registered LUGs. 
6. Be respectful of others. Unacceptable behavior includes (but is not necessarily limited to): bullying, racism, sexism, xenophobia, hate speech, harassment, threats, etc. 
7. HAVE FUN & PLAY WELL! 

PortLUG has occasionally put on LEGO displays to raise money for local schools or organizations. If you have a cause that you think could benefit from PortLUG’s involvement, share your idea! Come to a meeting, or reach out via our Contact page.  Please keep in mind that we are a hobby group, and our ability to participate in any of these types of events is determined by the willingness and ability of members to contribute their time.  

A draft is a great way to build your parts supply! See our Meetings page for more information on what to expect at a draft.

Absolutely not! Though most of our members are local, some live an hour or more outside of town, and a few live much much further. Most of the benefits of the LUG come from the personal interaction of meetings, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun trading ideas on the mailing list and making new friends in the AFOL community!

Absolutely! We have members who also belong to other LUGs including BayLUG, GNLR, and our neighbors at SeaLUG, as well as others further out. We’re not here to compete, or exclude anyone. We are here to make as many LEGO friends as we can!

PortLUG, GNLR, and BricksCascade are all LEGO related, and all in the Portland area, however they are not officially affiliated.

GNLR, or Great Northern LEGO Railroaders is a separate, more specialized club that focuses on LEGO trains. Several PortLUG members are also members of GNLR

Bricks Cascade is a non-profit organization that puts on an annual LEGO convention & exposition here in Portland.  Bricks Cascade is a separate entity from PortLUG, however the majority of workers and volunteers are also members of PortLUG.

If you’re interested in attending Bricks Cascade, or volunteering for the convention, you can find out more on the PortLUG mailing list,  at our meetings, or check the Bricks Cascade webpage.

LEGO^® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.

PortLUG does maintain a good relationship with The LEGO Group^®, and we work with them regularly to enrich the fan community, and to ensure that all Trademarks and Copyrights belonging to LEGO^® are understood and observed.  In turn, The LEGO^® Group has been been very supportive of PortLUG since its inception, and continues to be an active part of the PortLUG family.

While PortLUG is exclusively a club for adult fans, we love to encourage young builders to stick with the hobby! Check out our Resources for Parents.

First, think long and hard about it. Do you really want to sell your collection? If it is your child’s collection, are you sure they won’t get back into the hobby as adults?

If you’re sure you’re ready to sell, there may be a member of our group who is interested in buying. Please submit a request via our Contact page. The more information you’re able to provide (list of what you’re selling, notes on condition, photos, asking price, etc), the more likely it is that we’ll be able to help.