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• Over and out

• Lodi industrial firms seek more qualified employees

• Patient numbers plummet: Delta family planning clinic in Lodi closes

• Eastside families waiting for heat as temperatures drop

• Methamphetamine bill co-sponsored by Jerry McNerney signed into law

November 2nd, 2009

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

November 6th, 2009

• Short sales make up nearly half of Lodi market

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi man accused of smuggling drugs, weapons for inmates at state prison

• 'I-5 Strangler' sentenced to 6 terms of life

• Jury convicts Acampo man of torture, assault of his girlfriend

• Young girl is 200,000th person to assemble AIDS, HIV care kit

• Woman in wheelchair struck by car

November 5th, 2009

• San Joaquin County considers moratorium on new Williamson Act contracts

• Speakers address Lodi Unified School District budget shortfalls, plea to keep programs

• Armed robbers still targeting Lodi shops

• Regional Roundup

• California voters have final say over $11 billion water bond

• Paul Tebbel shines spotlight on sandhill cranes

• Your complete guide to Sandhill Crane Festival

• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy

• Man wanted in Acampo homicide gives up to San Joaquin County Sheriff's detectives

• Weekend bus service to continue until Lodi City Council makes decision

• A lower Lodi Lake

• Streetside scarecrows

November 4th, 2009

• San Joaquin County sues state over prison hospital planned for Stockton

• California sends Democratic loyalist John Garamendi to Congress

• Candle fire

• Rep. Jerry McNerney sets telephone town hall for Thursday

• Jason Behrmann is unanimously named Galt's city manager

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi City Council weighs raising fares to restore some bus service

• Bicycling father raising awareness of teen suicide

• Galt City Council argues over ordinance hiring residents

• Big win for Allen Baroni in reclamation election

November 3rd, 2009

• Clarification

• Correction

• Galt considers ordinance that would require city contractors to hire locally

• Regional Roundup

• Have you seen a missing guide dog puppy in Lodi?

• Jason Behrmann is top candidate for Galt city manager

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

• 500 attend service for Kyle Coumas

• Galt man dies after weekend Highway 12 crash

November 2nd, 2009

• 27-year-old man shot to death Saturday night in front of Acampo home

• Public Meetings

• Correction

• Kyle Coumas funeral today

• Regional Roundup

• Group investigates reports of haunting

• Sandhill Cranes Festival comes to Lodi next weekend

• Lamborghini lovers gather for show, fine wine, luncheon in Woodbridge

• Lodi's 'Biggest Loser' Christy Richesin runs 5K Halloween race

• Downtown Lodi trick or treat

October 31st, 2009

• Izzy Laviola and Seth Siddle-Mitchell crowned Tokay homecoming queen and king

• Tokay High evacuation

• Finishing touches on Hill House replica

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi-area Halloween events

• Lodi a reflection of Halloween's retail emergence

• Area schools have no plans of closing due to H1N1 virus

• In remembrance of Kyle Coumas

• Gated communities in Lodi

• City of Lodi settles case of mistaken identity

October 30th, 2009

• Officials hope new Highway 12 stoplight will make road safer

• Red Ribbon Week

• Logbook

• Roundup of Lodi-area Halloween events

• Lockeford soldier Kyle Coumas' funeral set for Monday

• Lodi sales tax revenue less than expected

• Regional Roundup

• Local reaction to economic growth

• Get an early start trick-or-treating in Downtown Lodi

• When there's something strange ...

• Stockton breaks ground on Delta Water Supply Project

• Possible extention of first-time homebuyer tax credit?

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Bible is entwined with American civic life (135)
• Gated communities in Lodi (112)
• I predict: A conservative tide will rise in 2010 (91)
• The Treaty of Tripoli hoax (76)
• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy (57)
• Here's what my father knew about the assassination of JFK (55)
• Universal health care solves big problems (30)
• Words from our forefathers (26)
• With resolve and imagination, Downtown Lodi can surge once again (24)
• 27-year-old man shot to death Saturday night in front of Acampo home (18)

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Act your age?

Some Lodi residents haven't outgrown their toys. In fact, they're embracing their favorite playthings the older they get. Whether it's Legos, cars or kites, these 'kidults' are having fun.

Remember those toys you used to play with as a kid? The hours of fun you'd have with your train sets, your slot cars, the Malibu Barbie and Weeble Wobbles seemed like they'd never end.

For some people, they haven't.

Russ and Jan Ray of Lodi are the first to acknowledge they are just big kids. Russ Ray, 52, has been playing with Legos — those colorful plastic building blocks that can be snapped together to build almost anything — since he was a kid. He carried his obsession into adulthood and got his bride hooked on it.

"We played with them before our kids were born, while they were growing up and now that they're out of the house, we're still playing with them," Jan Ray said.

Jan Ray says they have built the Eiffel Tower, a carousel, houses, an operating train system and Russ Ray has even built a motorized AT-AT (one of the vehicles used in the "Star Wars" movies).

Even though their kids and friends think they're crazy (they showed up late to a dinner party and left early just so they could get home and continue working on the Eiffel Tower), Jan Ray says it's a way for her and her husband to connect, talk about their day and just be together.

The Rays aren't the only ones with a fascination for the building bricks.

Joey McCaster, 23, also of Lodi, has played with Legos since he was a young lad of five.

Arnie Prince holds up a classic motorcyle as part of his collection of classic toys in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

When the world gets to be a bit too much, McCaster says that Legos provide a distraction. The aspect he enjoys the most, however is the architectural challenge.

"I doubt I'll ever outgrow them. Even though (Legos) get more expensive every day, I build whatever proposes a challenge," McCaster said.

From the older to the newer, toys hold the imagination of those fortunate to get hooked on them. For some, the love of the toys becomes a hobby and sometimes more.

Arnie Prince who owns Arnie's Antique Toys in Lodi has been collecting old cast iron toys since he was introduced to them back in the early '70s.

Prince had a friend who collected the metal toys and was quite involved with it. Prince approached it as a casual hobby in the beginning, but really got into collecting cast iron toys about 15 years ago.

He began going to shows and appreciating the art form. He taught himself to fix the less-than-perfect toys and got busier and busier with it.

California kite champion Jay Bell shows some of his kites on a recent afternoon. According to Bell, one of the reasons he flies kites is because of the simple freedom it allows the flyer to experience through the kite. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Prince owned an autobody shop and sold it when the cast iron toy business really began to take off.

"I love the little toys. It's the art of it. If I didn't like the old toys, or the art work, I wouldn't do it," Prince says.

Sometimes it's the newer toys, namely video games, that really rock and adult kid's world.

Vince Powaser, 34, of Lodi loves his son. More specifically, he loves his son's XBox.

Powaser and his son, Matthew, 14, compete against each other, Matthew's friends and online with the popular game, "Halo 3," says Powaser's wife, Sonya Limon.

"He's the cool dad. When Matthew's friends come over, Vince is right in the middle of them, playing right along," Limon said. "He's very competitive."

Though, Limon confesses, Matthew usually beats his dad at games.

And speaking of competitive, some big kids don't play fair with their toys at all.

Jay Bell, of Lodi, flies his kite whenever possible. Flies it against other kites, that is.

Bell flies fighter kites, the kind that are featured in the popular book, "The Kite Runner."

Even though the sport is around 2,000 years old, it has only recently started to catch on in the United States.

Four out of the last five years, Bell has been the Northern and Central California kite fighting champion four out of the last five years.

It's no wonder he's done so well with the sport.

"I love to play with kites," Bell said.

Contact Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.