After Hours
RLPS Egg Drop 2015
This year’s Egg Drop, our annual tradition kicking off the start of summer, involved our creative contraptions being dropped from a drone. This was followed by a “Phase II” drop from a lift, for the eggs that survived the first release. The 2015 kit of parts was based on a picnic place setting and included paper plates, plastic utensils, paper cups and napkins, along with a few extras including a paper clip, string, tape and glue.
As always, decorative items were encouraged, but those were limited to paint, glitter or stickers. A unique consideration this year was making sure the end result weighed less than a pound so that the battery-powered drone could lift it to a height of 30 feet or more before releasing it to the ground. Some of the egg contraptions floated; others plummeted to the ground, although even in some of the latter cases the egg survived. Congratulations to our winner, Rob Beal and his family; their egg was dropped several times without breaking!
RLPS Egg Drop 2014
Our annual summer kick-off once again involved launching eggs – this year with a sling shot aimed at targets featuring the smiling mugs of RLPS partners. In the case of Dave Lobb, however, it was a live target. We assume it was just a coincidence that his wife also had an entry in this year’s competition. Each participant received a kit of parts including 50 business cards that had been collected during our office move last year, a tube of glitter glue, a roll of scotch tape, Easter grass and a rubber frog or slug. While hitting the targets proved to be a definite challenge, many of the eggs survived multiple launches. This year’s celebration also included fare from BBQ, Greek and ice cream food trucks.
RLPS Egg Drop 2013
To celebrate the start of summer our staff and their families compete in an annual egg drop, or to be accurate this year, an egg launch! It may have been cold and windy but our egg rockets were cleared for launch and a grand time was had by all! The contraptions were built with a pre-determined parts kit including foamcore, packing peanuts, an oatmeal container, plastic shopping bag, and string. Each competitor had to use these materials provided (and nothing extra) to create a rocket that would protect an egg during launch and bring it safely back to earth unbroken.
RLPS – Egg Drop 2012
Every year RLPS issues a themed design challenge for employees to construct a contraption in which an egg will be directed toward a target. This year’s event was held at the construction site of our new office building and involved launching the eggs through a four-inch PVC chute from a second story window. Points were awarded for surviving the launch—many eggs did not—and also for hitting a hardhat target. Construction materials included paperclips, a cardboard tube, a piece of fabric, a strip of carpet, Elmer’s glue, scotch tape and rubber bands.
2016: SWEETSCAPE
This year’s creative confections featured a 1930s era urban streetscape in 3/4″ scale, which allowed for detailed interior settings in addition to the typical candy construction facades. The display was created entirely by volunteers made up of RLPS staff, families and friends over approximately two weeks of evenings and weekends starting the day after Thanksgiving and wrapping up during the first week in December. New for 2016, we had an optional food drive for those who wished to participate. Thank you to past attendees who suggested this idea. All non-perishable food brought to our open houses was donated to Water Street Mission in Lancaster.
2015: Adiron-DECK the Halls
The 2015 display was loosely modeled after a traditional upstate New York Adirondack mountain town with an old-fashioned grand lodge resort. The twist for this display was that in lieu of gingerbread, our primary building material was pretzels! We used over 30 unique pretzel shapes on various parts of the display. Other edible construction materials included 120 sheets of gingerbread and 40 gallons of icing produced by the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center, as well as 20 pounds of rock candy, 15 pounds of salt, and 50 pounds of miscellaneous colored candies! Another important “building material” was 10-plus pounds of fondant which was used to mold a variety of objects, animals and people populating our Adirondack village, camp, and lodge.
The annual tradition, which began in 1988, involves employees, family, and friends who volunteer for hours of creative confectionery construction. Beginning just before Thanksgiving, participants spent many evenings and weekends pulling everything together in time for our client party in early December.
2014: Frozen in Time
The twist for this milestone display was that in lieu of gingerbread, our primary building material was Charms, a clear candy made by the Tootsie Roll company. This year’s display utilizes 14,000 Charms and 2,200 clear candy “bricks” produced by the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center, along with 100 pounds of rock candy, 55 gallons of icing and 40 pounds of miscellaneous colored candies! Another important “building material” was 10 plus pounds of fondant which was used to mold a variety of objects, animals and people populating our frozen village. Loosely modeled after Disney’s hit movie, Frozen, this year’s display focused on glowing lights and ice crystals in celebration of our firm’s 60th anniversary diamond jubilee. The annual tradition, which began in 1988, involves employees, family and friends who volunteer for hours of creative confectionary construction. Beginning just before Thanksgiving, participants spent many evenings and week-ends pulling everything together in time for our client party in early December.
2012: Jolly Olde London Towne
Since 1988, RLPS employees have created an elaborate gingerbread display. Planning begins in October and culminates with the unveiling in early December. Employees, friends, and family members all join in to help create this magical display that brings out the child in each of us.
The 2012 display continues this tradition – harkening back to 18th century London straight out of a Charles Dickens novel. Cobblestone streets paved with thousands of black beans lead you through a bustling metropolis full of gingerbread shops towards the sugar River Thames complete with the London Bridge and Big Ben. Graham cracker sidewalks are full of fondant Londoners – a baker displaying her wares, a barber ready for his next customer, nannies looking for work, a dog walker, horse-drawn carriages, and even an elephant raiding crates outside the East Indies Trading Company. Shoppers enjoy a chewing-gum clad Harrods department store and there are plenty of pubs to take a break and grab a meal while preparing for the holidays. A magic shop (with rabbits multiplying all over town!), train station, fish monger, newspaper print shop and more are all waiting to be discovered in this highly detailed candy, cracker, pasta, and gingerbread creation.
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
2011: Santa Bell Beach
Creative confections are always part of the holiday season at RLPS Architects, and the 2011 creative twist gave new meaning to “chillin’ at the beach.” Masses of snowmen enjoyed a frosty beach holiday at a graham cracker boardwalk and midway pier with an eclectic collection of gingerbread shops and sand-colored sugar shores bustling with activity, including a group of “Occupy Boardwalk” snowmen. Drawing from visions of summer boardwalk scenes, employees, their families and friends spent hours constructing gingerbread, candy, crackers and pasta into pizza shops, souvenir stores and even a tattoo parlor. The lively shore featured snowmen enjoying the beach and boardwalk with a rooftop miniature golf course, beach volleyball and a moving carousel and Ferris wheel.
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography