This past week marked the 22nd annual Fort Myers Beach Sand Castle Championship event. I was honored to be invited to be the " Site Manager " for the Holiday Inn portion of the competition ! As site manager one of my responsibilities was to make sure the carvers had the tools and materials needed to actually build one of these incredible sand structures !
Each participant is provided a pile of beach sand inside their plot. The sand on Fort Myers Beach is considered by many carvers as the best in the world. Work starts by shoveling several inches of sand into the form followed by buckets of water. This is heavy, brutal grunt work as they are not allowed to use helpers.
Men and women compete equally in the " Masters " and State divisions. Time is carefully monitored and the initial " pound-up " lasts for several hours before carving can begin. Shovel, water, tamp. repeat !!!
After the form is as high as needed the top form is removed. Cross your fingers hoping that it doesn't collapse ! Carving is done with a variety of tools. The sand is kept moist with spray bottles while the image begins to take shape. Carvers use a variety of pictures, sketches and inspiration to develope their final sculpture.
Up to this point only sand and water are used. The layers of sand, water and heavy tamping give it strength to support additional forms and the weight of the carver. When fine details are added and the sculptor is happy with the results thay are given a solution of diluted Elmers' White Glue to spray on the finished work. The diluted glue penetrates the sand and forms a crust somewhat like the coating on an M & M's candy. It serves to capture the moisture within the sculpture. Without it the sand would continue to dry from the sun and wind and would result in ...well, a pile of sand !
In case you are wondering, Yes, sometimes the dang thing collapses! Typically it happens during removal of a form. It is a disaster of course but during this years' event there were about 6 collapses among 22 Masters sculptures. In every case the carver took a moment to reflect on the collapse and then set about sarting over on another !
The event drew 22 Masters level competitors, 7 State level and many amateures plus approx 80,000 visitors. The final sculptures amazed everyone. Today we start planning for 2009 !
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