Next week, Oak Harbor’s youngest architects and engineers will have the chance to show off their prowess with the world’s best known childhood building blocks — Legos.

The Oak Harbor Rotary Club is hosting a Lego windmill contest to raise awareness for a civic project that has been years in the making — the construction of a new windmill at Windjammer Park.

The contest will take place at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Oak Harbor High School library. Students at any Oak Harbor School District elementary school may participate individually or in teams. Participation in the competition is free.

Participants will bring their finished windmill creations to the library on the date of the contest for judging. The top three winning entries will receive gift certificates from Wal-Mart. All windmill entries must be original creations, not from a kit.

Rotary Club secretary Steve Schwalbe said that kids who would like to participate but do not have Legos at home should talk to clubs at their respective schools about borrowing Legos for the competition. If there are no materials available to borrow, they may contact Dwight Lundstrom, assistant superintendent for the district, who can help them obtain Legos for the contest.

In August, the Oak Harbor City Council approved a contract with the Rotary Club for the construction of the windmill at Windjammer Park, with the council agreeing to contribute just under $50,000 for the project.

Much to the distress of many Oak Harbor residents, the city tore down the old windmill in 2017, because the plywood structure, which was built in the 1970s, had not been maintained and was deemed a hazard due to rot. Community members have been rallying for years to get the city to make good on its promise to rebuild the iconic building.

When no progress was made, a group of private citizens decided to rebuild the windmill with private donations and donated labor. The Rotary Club is spearheading the project.

Schwalbe said the club has a builder and an architect. The next step of the project is to pour the foundation, which the club tentatively hopes to complete this fall. Schwalbe said the club hopes to have the windmill constructed by 2025.