World Championship Sandsculpture Contest at risk

This from sculptor David Billings (originally posted on Facebook):

**READ AND RESPOND PLEASE** **HARRISON HOT SPRINGS 2009 & FUTURE**
I have spoken with John Green today and he informed me that he will no longer be sponsoring the Sand Sculpture events at Harrison Hot Springs due to his wife having a stroke. Please send him your wishes.

AS FOR FUTURE SAND EVENTS -
John informed me that the Town of Harrison has $100's of thousands of dollars available to put on the sand events, but have no one willing to step up and keep the event going or have any backing by the Mayor or councel. Black Press is still interested in being the Major Sponsor for the event, but with no support from the Town counsel. John also indicated that the Mayor is about to approve $1.5M to erect a concrete tourist attraction around the lagoon area instead of having the sand sculpture events.

I have posted the Mayor's name, number and e-mail address above and a link to Harrison. PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL OR CALL HIM TO VOICE YOUR OPINION, DISAPPOINTMENT OR OTHER COMMENTS

MAYOR: KEN BECOTTE
TELEPHONE: 001.604.796.2171 (-08:00GMT)
E-MAIL: Mayor@HarrisonHotsprings.ca

Extreme (Weather) Sandsculpting in Virginia Beach

Can't carve in 40 mph winds -- so might as well make a movie about it :)

My whirlwind summer sand sculpture tour -phase ii

They announced the results of the juried and public voting:

1st - Kim (Sack of Culture)
2nd - Killian (Tu Jardin)
3rd - sandy feet (En el Camino)
peoples choice - sandy feet

So I am going back to the US tomorrow with two trophies and a little more money than expected - which is always a happy thing.

Next stop on my whirlwind summer tour: Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.

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So I successfully survived one right-outside-the-airplane-window lightening strike, two flight delays and three hours on the tarmac in Newark (made tolerable in part by the three vodka tonics thoughtfully provided by the flight attendants in first class, to which I had been unexpectedly upgraded).

It was a dark, stormy night in HB when my umbrella-equipped limo driver deposited my and the Mother Lode (really. that is the Ebag name of the new suitcase I treated myself to this summer) in my favorite (3rd floor waterfront) room at the Hillcrest Inn, located on the main drag of Hampton Beach, NH.

I promptly unpacked my two new trophies ("You REIGN in SPAIN!" sez Nancy M) to snap a quick shot of them before they get relegated to the shelf that Minnie my cleaning assistant hits with the duster every month or so.

Yesterday broke bright and sunny and I got to spend a nearly perfect day doing what I like to do best: carve good sand with a group of people I really like hanging with. We have one more day on the demo sculpture and then the contest starts on Thursday.

Follow this link to read more about the fabulous life of a master sand sculptor...

Link

A vandal-free night, at last!

Only four more hours of competition. I shot a lot of photos this morning as most sculptures are very close to complete...

see them here!

The contest in Valladolid

Wednesday

We get a 2.5 hour midday break which is quite sweet and gives ma an opportunity to catch up on things.
Today is so much better than yesterday! The rain has moved on and the sun feels so good. I already have most of my forms off and my helper, Alberto, is slow but earnest and willing to learn. He shovels uncomplainingly but was dismayed when I put a carving tool in his hand -- the windows I ask him to carve are getting cleaner, and even if I have to re-carve them a little after he is finished, he is still saving me time. This afternoon he will shovel lots of sand, which means I won't have to. Hurray. We discovered that my iPod can connect to the sound system, which means that I got to carve to my favorite music for almost three hours. Heaven!

I had a TV interview this morning - since I was the first one carving I have had many people around my plot. I told Alberto that if I win I will share the prize with him. I have no fear I will need to make good on that promise.

Proposal Castle on the Suntide II Beachcam today!

I am building a "Will You Marry Me" castle within range of the Suntide II Beachcam today, starting about 4 PM. The lad and his lucky lady should be strolling by around 8 PM. Watch the drama unfold LIVE at http://www.southpadrecam.com/!


ps did you know there is now a baycam you can control located at Louie's? Look for it at http://www.spibaycam.com/

Link

We could do something like this on SPI

A cool fundraising idea from the Florida Keys that utilizes a long stretch of beach and a big group of people to make art -- http://cbs4.com/greenflorida/cheeca.lodge.islamorada.2.704156.html

Link

Sand Blasters III

"Get over it - the arch is GONE!"

The Travel Channel has posted a couple of videos from the new version of Sand Blasters -- the one that features three sculptors from South Padre Island (sandy feet, Amazin' Walter and Christy McDonald.) The show is scheduled to premier on March 8 and we will have a viewing party somewhere. (Since the date coincides with Texas Week, it probably won't be at Louie's this year. Any suggestions?)

my new movie...

premiers right here and now -- enjoy!

"Hydrophobic Sand" - a sandsculptor's worst nightmare

My Favorite Magazine Cover EVER!

Some folks would say that we don’t have any seasons here on South Padre Island, or that if we do they can be simplified as Early summer, Summer, Late Summer, and Next Summer. But they couldn’t be more wrong. We have lots of seasons - - way more than four. In fact, I have identified 12 distinct if sometimes overlapping seasons, starting (more or less) with the beginning of the calendar year, and this is what I call them:

Holiday
Winter Break
Spring Break/Mexican Break
Locals Break (aka “Peace-N-Quiet”)
First Wind
Turtle Days (aka “Sargassum”)
Fireworks
Dog Days
Back-To-School (aka “Where’d everybody go?”)
Biker/Sandcastle
Second Wind
Peace-N-Quiet II/Pirate Days

Right now we are at the tail end of First Wind which is segueing into Turtle Days which very soon will be overlapping with Fireworks -- which coincides with the arrival of the Summer People to the beaches and the Bongodogs to Wanna Wanna.
I will be seeing many of you here at the Sandbox, which is almost completely booked through Fireworks, Dog Days and much of Back-To-School -- and even more who are signing up for sand castle lessons in truly gratifying numbers, thanks in large part to the June issue of Texas Monthly, which features an SoB sand castle on the cover and the cover story (“The Best Texas Beaches”) has a nice mention of my lessons and my Sand Castle Academy at the SandBox Inn.

Better run out and get a copy quick before I - or the Summer People - beat you to it!

Even if you have to crawl....

I returned home from British Columbia Monday night and have finally gotten around to catching up on all the newspapers, minutes of meetings I missed, etc. and if a concentrated diet of published vitriol and sheer lunacy does not make you want to cry and crawl in a hole somewhere then you are perhaps too heavily armored, brothers and sisters.

Hey - let the developers have their way! Who are we to stop them? Let them build their 8-story condos in your neighborhood! Forget any hopes you might have had of insisting that the southside problems not be replicated as SPI grows north because this town lacks the will to deny any little thing the developers ask for. Want to know why Sand Blasters 2008 won’t come to SPI? (I got the inside scoop last week): 1) We don’t have a town beach where crowds can easily gather, and 2) the consulting sculptor had a really bad experience with one of our town officials during a recent Sandcastle Days contest, leading to the conclusion that we are difficult to deal with.

Yes, it could have been so easy for me to fall into the depths of despair this week, but for one thing:

Turtle Days!!!!

I can’t wait to see all the painted fans at today’s Turtle Tea!

Friday night’s Lighting of the Tiki Torches is going to be a gas and the Saturn Street Strummers have a brand new song to unleash upon the unsuspecting public. You’d better be at Palm St. Pier by 7 PM or you are going to be in the unenviable position of having to listen over and over again to multiple and detailed reports of all the sublimely silly stuff you missed.

Saturday morning you really need to show up at Beach Access #1 (Harbor st.) as we unlitter the fore-dunes and recreate the Arribada with sandturtles - my goal is 100 or more and I will really need some help - no artistic talent required.

Last but not least is Saturday night’s Turtle Ball. Music by The Agency and every penny of the $25 ticket fee goes to Sea Turtle Inc. We hear tell that a sweet blue seahorse is picking up the entertainment tab out of her own pocket so that we can all get dressed up in silly/lovely costumes, flutter our fans and dance the night away -- just for fun!

I’ll tell you, it is enough to make me (almost) forget the election ugliness and the shortsightedness of our leaders and believe that there are still enough good people here to give me hope for our town’s future.

I’m heading to the Turtle Ball --
Hope to see you there.
(Get your tickets at Zeste -- I’ll be the one leaving a trail of sand in my wake....)

Excitement is Building....

Reminder: Come to Louie's tomorrow night (Sunday) and watch "Sand Blasters" with me! Show starts at 7 -- I will be there shortly after 6 consuming liquid courage. Hope to see you there!

Let's Have a Blast at Louie's!

This coming Sunday - March 4 - Sand Blasters 2007: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship is premiering from 7-9 PM. I talked it over with Dan and Joe at Louie’s and they said I could invite all my friends to come watch it with me in the upstairs bar. Now, it is going to be really embarrassing if only three or four people show up. So please. If you have any interest at all in watching Team Trowel and Error’s sculptures get blown to smithereens, come join me at Louie’s and see just how silly the show’s editors can make me look.

Sunday!
Louie’s!
Upstairs!
7 PM!
Be there!

Sand Castle Explosions - Sand Blasters

Oh it is so exciting! Both of my sculptures get blown up in this teaser!

More Sand Blasters videos here

Get Ready for Sand Blasters 2007!

Mark March 4 on your calendar -- It is the debut of the newest episode of Sand Blasters: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship - the sand castle contest that is really a "blast!" Sand will fly and you can watch Team "Trowel and Error" - SPI's own sandy feet and her partner Kirk Rademaker - square off against 14 of the world's best sand sculptors.

I will be talking to Dan over at Louie's to see if we can get him to put it on the big TVs over there so we can have a Sand Blaster party - will be back to you with more info.

Link

2007 Polar Bear Sculpture

(Amazin' Walter & sandy feet strike a pose at last year's effort)

Weather permitting - the Sons of the Beach Sand Castle Wizards will be out in force at the 2007 Whiting Street Polar Bear dip on New Years morning. We are encouraging everyone who has any interest in participating in this sculpture - from shoveling and hauling water to castle building & carving - to show up around 9 AM and pitch in. Let's make this the biggest and best one yet!

And then, of course, stick around for a quick dip in balmy-by-many-standards - 66.2 degrees at this very moment - water and the post-dip party at Billy Boomerang Beach. HOpe to see you there!

Update 12/31: that water is cooloing fast, kiddos. It has dropped nearly a full degree to 65.3 in just 24 hours. BRRRRR!

Sandguy on Youtube

The object of my affection doing what he does...