Sandblast ~ Sand Sculpture Exhibition
Sandblast 2015
From my first trip to the beach as a child, building sand castles in the sand was always a favourite past-time of mine. Any kind of creation, our dream homes, mud drip style castles, mermaids, the ideas would happily pour out of us while we worked and molded the sand into shape. Nowadays, I love walking along the beach and admiring the work of modern day Leonardo DaVinci's who have created their dream scultpures in the sand. It's just something we Beach Lifers take pleasure in. There is nothing more simple and appealing than creating a fabulous sculpture only to watch the waves roll in and topple it all down. It doesn't dampen our spirits.
Everything You Need to Know about Sandblast
Sandblast is one of our favourite events on Anna Maria Island, Florida. We've combined a mini Insider's Guide with what you need to know, how to get there and what to expect.
When
Join the free sand castle building clinic, hosted by Team Sandtastic, on November 12 & 13th from 5 - 6 pm
Sculptors start at 8 am - 1 pm on November 14th
Judging begins at 1 pm - 2 pm on November 14th
Sand Scultpures will remain on the beach until December 14th
November 15th, Sandblast celebrates America Recycles Day
Where
Manatee Public Beach at Holmes Beach, direclty beside Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe.
Who
We had a chance to catch up with Team Sandtastic owner Mark Mason, and we wanted to know just how he got into Sandculpting as a profession.
"Sand sculpture has turned from a hobby into a passion into a profession for me. Loving arts & crafts as a child I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and didn't mind the ephemeral nature of sand sculpture when making things on the beach. In high school I headed a team for an annual contest [much like your Anna Maria Island's SandBlast!] and did something unheard of back then...We practiced our displays ahead of time.
Taking a whimsical craft like making sand castles seriously it caught the attention of the event sponsors, the onlookers, and even the hotels and restaurants we practiced in front of. Photos of our pieces grew into a portfolio.. and calls of interest from those above expanded our repertoire. We're now a team of sculptors crafting displays and hosting our Sand Sculpture Clinics all across the globe. What a hoot.
Our first SandBlast was in the year 2000. Quite some tenure. No rust on our tools." Check out a few of Sandtastic recent endeavors at: www.TeamSandtastic.com/Latest
Master scultpors, Team Sandtastic will begin a few days before to build the gigantic sand sculpture will greet visitors made up of 80 tons of sand! Team Sandtastic currently holds the World Guiness Record for tallest hand built sand sculpture (under 100 man hrs) which stood at 28 feet 7 1/4 inches tall. Now that's pretty incredible!
You can enter a team by donating $300 (tax deductible). Call Keep Manatee Beautiful at 941-795-8272 or go to their website and fill out the forms http://manateebeautiful.com
Facts
Sandblast is a Sand Sculpture Competition
Sculpting is open to an Adult Division and a School Division
Themes this year are Free Form, Wildlife or Holiday
Business Sponsors raise funds to support Keep Manatee Beautiful, an educational organization dedicated to litter prevention, beautification and environmental improvement
Want to Visit and Stay during Sandblast?
We have accommodations available for minimum one week stays at our waterfront vacation rentals during the Sandblast event. Contact us for information on our fantastic last minute deals!
514-606-6673
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