By Amy Rowley
A three-day beach party in downtown Olympia, Sand in the City kicked off on Friday at 10:00 am. The first event is the team competition, with 14 groups vying for the coveted Golden Shovel and People’s Choice Awards.
For the past few months, teams have joined forces to come up with an idea for a sand sculpture. As a group, the teams then perfect their design. Local architects and designers lend practical advice to ensure that the idea is feasible and able to be built using wood forms and sand. Then, teams gather to practice building their creation. Finally, each team gathers at Sand in the City to spend the day creating the ultimate sand sculpture.
Each team consists of about 20 people. Some are local businesses using the event as a team building activity. Other groups are formed by non-profits and sponsored by area businesses. In total, 14 team sand sculptures will grace the parking lot of the New Museum and Jefferson Street.
Sand sculptures will be on display through the entire weekend. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite design to earn the People’s Choice Award. Master sand sculptors will be building on Saturday. Stop by anytime this weekend to see the finished projects! The free event, held at the New Hands On Children’s Museum, is packed with festivities through Sunday evening.
“Our design is based on the Paper Bag Princess book by Robert Munsch,” describes Berschauer Phillips team member, Drew Phillips. With colorful shirts, his team was perched high above their wooden forms, pounding sand.
Wolf Haven International, defending both the People’s Choice and Golden Shovel awards, was busy at work on their creation. The sand sculpture will have a central focus on a tree with a wolf crossing a stream, holding a salmon.
Another brightly clad team, REI, was busy forming sand into a sculpture called “Get Your Bearing,” which will feature camping bears complete with compass and navigational tools.
John Pirie, a member of the North Thurston Art Teachers team, describes the famous, classic pieces of art that will be incorporated into their design, titled “Art Matters.” While chatting with Pirie, his team mates sift sand to remove any stray rocks.
Alpine Experience, a team with a lot of experience participating in Sand in the City, was also hard at work on their design. “It’s a spoof on the Three Little Pigs,” comments one team member with a chuckle.
In all, there were very few team members milling about. Instead, everyone had a job and was filling their role on the team.
Under beautiful sunshine, Maria Meconi and a few of her Meconi’s Subs employees walked amongst the teams chatting along the way. “We just delivered lunch,” says Meconi whose local business is a sponsor of the event. “Then, we like to check out everyone’s progress.”
Centered around kids and having a great time outside, Sand in the City is a “must-see” this weekend. Make sure you visit the event at its new location, in front of the New Hands On Children’s Museum. Check out this week’s Thrifty Thurston post for more information about all the kid-friendly activities and craft projects. A complete photo set can be found here.
