American Sand Sculpting Championship off to quick start
The 35th American Sand Sculpting Championship, one of the most anticipated annual events on Fort Myers Beach, was off to a fast start Thursday at the DiamondHead Beach Resort.
In the blink of an eye, massive and intricate works of sand art were being carved out from dolphins to a sea dragon.
This year’s event features 27 artists from 10 countries.
Bruce Waugh, the defending champion of the American Sand Sculpting Championship, works on his sea monster outside the DiamondHead Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
They include the returning champion Bruce Waugh, of British Columbia, whose “Fish Out of Sea” last year was a giant hit at the championship.
“It’s been a good year,” Waugh said. He is happy to be back on the island for this year’s competition.
“The weather here is just amazing,” Waugh said.
He is working on a “water monster” this year. “We’ll see what happens with this one,” Waugh said while taking a break under the sun.
Among those returning this year are last year’s runner-up Todd Pangborn.
Remy Hoggard, who won last year’s Sculptor’s Choice Award, is also back, along with Paul Hoggard.
Hoggard, of England, is working on a sculpture of a group of bottlenose dolphins. Hoggard, who has taken part in sand sculpting events in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II, said he was inspired by a scene of dolphins while visiting Siesta Key. Asked about what it was like meeting the late Queen, Hoggard said “she was lovely.” Hoggard sculpted at the Royal Cornwall Show
Paul Hoggard works on his sculpture of a group of bottlenose dolphins at the American Sand Sculpture Championship at the DiamondHead Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Alison Godfrey, of England, is coincidentally from the same county as Hoggard just north of England. Godfrey said this was her first time attending the event. “It’s just amazing and the skill level of the sculptors is amazing. A lot of them seem to be architects and professional sculptors.”
She and her husband Jim visit Fort Myers Beach nearly every year to see Alison’s parents but never have arrived at this time of year.
The temperature where they live in Yorkshire County is -3 degrees celsius (just below freezing for fahrenheit). “They had snow yesterday which is unusual for England this time of year,” Mrs. Godfrey said. “So we are feeling pretty smug.”
Godfrey’s parents have had a condo on the south of Fort Myers Beach for more than 20 years and they typically visit for Easter. The building took some damage from Hurricane Ian. This is the first year where the place was in good enough shape for them to visit. They have been hearing about the sand castle championships for years and finally made it over the pond to see it. “We don’t have anything like it in England,” she said. Godfrey said they go to the south coast to enjoy the beach in England. They prefer the beach here and the sand, which is less grainy, she said. “The weather is amazing.”
The Godfreys enjoy visiting Fort Myers Beach to see the wildlife. “Guaranteed dolphins,” Mr. Godfrey said. “We have a passion for the wildlife. We are fanatical about it,” he said.
“We love to walk the beach and see all the birds. We love the sunsets,” Mrs. Godfrey said.
Tim and Charlotte Turner of Cape Coral brought their young daughter Veronica to see the sand sculptures.
They liked the dolphin sculpture of Hoggard.
“We love the dolphins and we think it’s just amazing to see how they work,” Mrs. Turner said. “Now we know how it’s done,” Mr. Turner said.
This year’s championship has double the space thanks in part to the use of the Estero Island Beach Club property next to the DiamondHead Beach Resort.
The championship is running each day through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $5 per person. Groups of six can purchase tickets for $25.
Live entertainment will follow at the Cabanas Beach Bar & Grille on the ground floor of the DiamondHead Beach Resort each night from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m.
On Sunday, there will be a demonstration and hands-on lessons at 1 p.m. The awards will be given out for the master sculpting championship at 4:30 p.m. Music from the band High Voltage will follow at Cabanas at the DiamondHead Beach Resort through 10 p.m.
In a new twist, there will be an extra day to enjoy the sculptures the following day on Monday. There will be “People’s Choice” voting all day. There will be live music from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. before the event closes at 5 p.m.
Another new feature for this year’s sculpting championship is that the sculptures will be lit up at night for viewing from the DiamondHead Beach Resort’s Coste Island Cuisine restaurant.
“The return of this beloved signature event to Fort Myers Beach is a testament to the resilience and perseverance of this small island community,” Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jacki Liszak said. “The Fort Myers Beach community is ready to welcome back its most devoted fans.”
The chamber is partnering with nonprofits to run nearby parking lots. The nonprofits will keep the revenue from the parking as “another way to spread the love of the event across the island,” Liszak said.
Seminole Casino will be running shuttles from downtown parking lots to the DiamondHead Beach Resort at 2000 Estero Boulevard.
“You don’t have to drive your car right up to the event area,” Liszak said.
LeeTran’s tram will be running a shuttle from Bowditch Point Regional Park to the Fort Myers Beach Library.
LeeTran’s trolley will also be running stops along Fort Myers Beach. Visitors looking to pick up the trolley off island can either pick up the trolley at the Pine Ridge Road station or at the Main Street and San Carlos Boulevard stop.
For children, there will also be sand piles and demonstrations, as well as painters on site.
Ferenc Monostori gets to work sculpting at the American Sand Sculpting Championship at the DiamondHead Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
The American Sand Sculpting Championship is presented by the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with The Sand Lovers, LLC, and DiamondHead Beach Resort.
For a complete schedule of the event, visit https://www.fmbsandsculpting.com/event-schedule/.
The DiamondHead Beach Resort will have live music under the big tent each night featuring Flora on Thursday, Gashouse Gorillas on Friday night, Chasing Denver on Saturday night and High Voltage on Sunday night.
The DiamondHead Beach Resort has some availability during the event.
John Gowdy, of Atlantic City, works on his sculpture at the American Sand Sculpture Championship at the DiamondHead Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Reservations at the DiamondHead Beach Resort can be made at www.diamondheadfl.com.
For more information on the sand sculpting championship and a list of events, visit www.fmbsandsculpting.com.
Tickets and info can be found through the following link: https://www.fortmyersbeach.org/sandsculpting-championship/