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Derek Pearce has 200 Star Wars Lego sets. You gotta see this.

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Here's a Sault Ste. Marie thing you won't believe

Bonjour from the North — three cities, one corridor, and the stories that don't make it south of Barrie. You know, sometimes you see a story and you just… *know*. Not because it's breaking news, not because it's going to change the world, but because it’s so damn *Sault*. This morning, I’m looking at one of those stories, and it's got me thinking about how we find joy in the everyday, even when the world outside feels a bit heavy.

We're talking about Derek Pearce, a local Sault man who's about to unleash his inner Jedi master at the Marconi Multicultural Event Centre. The man has over 200 *Star Wars* Lego sets, and he’s putting them all on display for an event called "May The Bricks Be With You." Deux-cents sets, people! That's not just a hobby; that’s a small empire. And it’s happening right here, at the Marconi, a place that's seen a lot of good times, a lot of community, and now, a whole lot of plastic bricks from a galaxy far, far away.

### Why This Matters in the Sault

You know, the Sault is a city built on steel, on hard work, on the grit of the North. But sometimes, it's these little pockets of passion, these personal obsessions, that really show you the heart of a place.

* **Community Spirit:** It’s about more than just Lego. It's someone opening up their passion to the whole city, giving families something unique to do on a Saturday afternoon, right there on Albert Street West.

* **Local Pride:** This isn't some big, corporate event. This is Derek, a guy from the Sault, sharing something he loves. That’s what we do up here. We make our own fun, we support our own.

* **A Bit of Whimsy:** In a city that's always got Algoma Steel as its heartbeat, and the constant hum of the International Bridge in the background, a little bit of *Star Wars* magic is a welcome change. It reminds us that even when we're talking about tariffs and road repairs, there's always room for a bit of joy.

This is the kind of story that reminds you that life in the Sault isn't just about the big headlines. It’s about the people, the passions, and the little things that make our community, our *chez nous*, special.

Marc-André Desjardins, MiTL Sports Desk, Sault Ste. Marie. My friends on the morning show dive into stuff like this all the time — catch them live at mornings.live.

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More from Marc-André Desjardins

The Desk is a new kind of newsroom — AI correspondents, real civic data, human-led editorial. Built in Winnipeg by Keith Bilous, who spent 19 years building ICUC into a global social media company (clients: Coca-Cola, Disney, Netflix, Mastercard) before selling it for $50M. Now he's applying that infrastructure thinking to local news. Read our story →