Texas SandFest on the beach at Port Aransas gives sculptors a chance to make a mountain out of a sand hill. More than just sand castles, the magical works of art elicit applause and many oohs and ahhs.
More than a dozen professional artists compete as teams or individuals for prizes awarded by judges and to the people’s favorites. The sculptors perform a dance with trowels, spritzer bottles, and straws to blow away errant grains of sand as the three-dimensional images gradually appear.
The artisans work on a tight schedule, even taking lunch at the same prescribed time, with a strict deadline for Sunday afternoon. Over the three days of the festival, their visions gradually emerge from a mound of blond sand.
The talented amateur sculptors can be no less creative with the execution of their designs. Working all day on Saturday, both individuals and teams shovel, sculpt, and carve their creations for bragging rights.
Grab a cold one in the festival’s beer garden and a new sunbonnet at the beach boutique, and then watch the sand creations materialize.
The Texas SandFest is the second weekend of April (11-13). Admission to the festival is $3 and free for children under 12. Riding the shuttle buses to the festival is worth it because traffic and parking at the site can be a headache. Check out the routes at www.portaransas-texas.com.
1,184th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips,” is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
This article appears in April 11 • 2014.
