Sculptures in the sand sure to impress

Published 8:00 am Tuesday, July 19, 2016

LONG BEACH, Wash. — Sandsations, a sand-sculpting competition and exhibition, will take place Saturday, July 23. Participants of all ages and levels of experience will build fantastic creations, while racing against the incoming tide. Sculpting starts at 6 a.m. and finishes at noon. Spectators are welcome.

“It’s amazing to watch teams of all kinds create these magnificent displays from tiny grains of sand,” said Karl Hintz, Sandsations chairman. “The results are always fascinating, at times humorous, sometimes meaningful, always creative.”

The buildup to the event began July 19, with tons of beach sand dumped at the Bolstad approach in Long Beach. Master sculptors, including Ed Mah and Scott Dosch, can be seen carving now through Friday, July 22, with their creations on display through July 24. People are encouraged to vote for their favorites.

The action moves to the beach on Friday afternoon with free sand-sculpting lessons at 5 p.m. and late registration from 3 to 6 p.m. Weather permitting, after the lessons there will be a bonfire, s’more kits for the first 100 people, a dance on the boardwalk from 7 to 10 p.m., and a fire spinning exhibition at 10 p.m. to wrap up the evening.

For the main competition on Saturday, buckets, shovels, trowels, forms and water will be used to transform simple sand into massive, imaginative sculptures. The contest takes place at the shoreline adjacent to the Long Beach boardwalk and near the Bolstad beach approach. Masters will begin building at 6 a.m., and teams and solos will start at 8 a.m. — all racing the incoming tide and waves, before they sweep the beach clean.

More free sand-sculpting lessons will take place at noon as judging begins. Winners and prizes will be awarded starting at 1 p.m., when the people’s choice award for the downtown sculptures will be announced.

There is also a full lineup of entertainment scheduled at the pavilion on Bolstad from noon to 6 p.m.

Registration fees range from $65 for masters to $1 each for children under 12.

“At the end of the day, watching the incoming waves slowly wash the beach back to a blank canvas is perhaps equally impressive,” added Hintz.

For event details and online registration, visit www.sandsationslongbeach.com

Ed Mah is a long-time sand sculptor from Seattle. For years he carved with the Legendary Orbital Sanders Team. This year, Mah will carve with a team put together by Michael Velling. An architect and wood carver (known for his Northwest native-style wood masks), Mah’s style is wide ranging.

Russ Leno is retired engineer living is Shelton. He carves just about anything. He is an experienced sand carver, chainsaw wood carver, snow and ice carver, and perhaps best known as the pumpkin carver at the Washington State Fair.

Scott Dosch is the last full-time “Sand Busker” in the USA. Traveling the country carving sand at crowded beaches and getting paid by tips, he carves sand into mermaids, children and veterans. Scott is looking forward to having three days to carve something big. Expect his piece to be a crowd favorite.

Lisa Donze is a graduate of Olympia’s Sand in the City contest. She carves sand, snow and ice and works with Exconicus producing art instruction materials.

Eric Hawley’s introduction to sand sculpture was as a spectator at the World Championship in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. His interest sparked, he started asking questions, which got him in touch with Bert Adams. Since then, he’s been carving on teams and as a solo master. Hawley’s day job is as an elevator mechanic for the University of Washington.

Form Finders is headed up by Amos Calendar and Jim Butler, both graduates of the Olympia Sand in the City. Form Finders usually makes wonderful vignettes that tell a story. As an eight-person team, they move a lot of sand and will fill out their plot. Expect laughter to come from the crowd around their plot.

True Grit is a new team put together by long-time master sculptor (and past World Champion) Michael Velling. True Grit features sculptors from several teams around the Northwest. What they will make is a big secret; expect it to be popular.

The Jessop Family has been moving up the ranks, from novice to intermediate, and this year to the masters category. Expect castles with a message.