Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sand Castle Trail Update: Hey -- its' really happening! Sculptures are rising on the beach at Good Hope Circle and on the landscaped corner of Saturn and Padre Blvd. And how's this for timely: sculptor Joo Heng Tan from Singapore is creating a bust of the Turtle Lady at Turtle Lady Park -- just in time for an unveiling at her 107th birthday celebration on Sun., Oct. 30.
Here is a photo of Dutch carvers Edith von de Wettering and Wilfred Stijger who are creating a multi-media sculpture for the South Padre Island city hall. It will feature a pair of little characters riding on the back of a giant gravity-defying sea turtle.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Announcing the Sand Castle Trail


I am very happy to report that the leaders of the town of South Padre Island in their infinite wisdom have given me the green light to proceed with a Sand Castle Trail pilot program. Over the next few weeks, a half a dozen sculptures will be created on city-owned property by some of the most talented sand sculptors in the world. The sculptures will be treated to withstand extreme weather and casual vandalism, and should easily last through the holidays and perhaps a good bit longer. (As they disintegrate they will be repaired, rebuilt or removed.)

The artworks will be created by some of the talented sculptors coming down to compete in Sand Castle Days, including the following:

Kirk Rademaker (Santa Cruz)
JooHeng Tan (Singapore) is 
Abe Waterman (Canada)
Suzanne Altamare (Daytona Beach)
and me! sandy feet (South Padre Island)

The sculptures will be built at city hall, the landscaped corner of Saturn and Padre maintained by Ken Dunkum; Turtle Lady Park; Water Tower Park; the butterfly garden south of Suntide II and the Good Hope and Bougainvillea beach accesses.

This project has not asked for or received any money or labor from the town. It has been accepted as a kickstarter.com campaign which will be launching any day now but all donations to the cause are always welcomed -- including meals and fun island experiences for the six visiting sculptors. Sponsoring individuals and businesses will be acknowledged and thanked on the web site.

Watch this space for more details and photos of the sculptures as they progress and visit sandcastletrail.com for the trail map, photos and general information. In the meantime, I hope to see you at the 24th annual Sand Castle Days Family Fun Festival at Clayton’s Resort, Oct. 16-21 -- come by and cheer me on!