SandFest survives

Event described as success despite rainstorm, vandals



Staff photo by Dan Parker

Staff photo by Dan Parker

Neither driving rain, nor a flooded beach, nor mean-spirited vandals could keep SandFest 2015 from happening.

“I think it was incredible,” said Shawn Etheridge, president of SandFest. “I think it was as big as any SandFest I’ve ever seen or been a part of.” He has been involved with SandFest since 2006.

Etheridge estimated that 50,000 people hit the beach throughout the event’s run from Friday to Sunday, April 24 to 26.

Not everyone paid the admission price to get onto SandFest’s grounds, but most of those who walked in without paying probably weren’t aware they were supposed to, Etheridge said.

Interviewed on Monday, he said he didn’t have a tally yet of how much money SandFest made, but he was confident it would be a good amount. He said beer and merchandise sales were up.

Top: Delayne Corbett of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, sculpts the creation he entered in the masters solo division at Texas SandFest in Port Aransas on Sunday, April 26. Above: Visitors negotiate puddles left behind by rainstorms on the grounds of SandFest.

Top: Delayne Corbett of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, sculpts the creation he entered in the masters solo division at Texas SandFest in Port Aransas on Sunday, April 26. Above: Visitors negotiate puddles left behind by rainstorms on the grounds of SandFest.

“I think our non- profits should be pretty excited when we give them checks t his year,” Etheridge said.

Getting third place in the solo division was Damon Langlois of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with his creation, ‘Blown Away.’

Getting third place in the solo division was Damon Langlois of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with his creation, ‘Blown Away.’

How could the event do so well despite the bad weather?

“I think people just love Texas SandFest,” Etheridge said. “They love the event, and it keeps growing. People book a year in advance to stay in Port Aransas for it. It’s a monster that’s taken on its own role. If Mother Nature can’t stop it, I don’t know what can.”

A hard rain on Wednesday, April 22, wiped away much of the work on the mountainous centerpiece sculpture that master sculptors spent hours to create as a welcome banner and advertising spot for sponsors.

Edith van de Wtering and Wilfred Stiljger, both of The Netherlands, won the People’s Choice Award for duos with ‘Bedtime Story.’ The judges also gave them second place in the duos division.

Edith van de Wtering and Wilfred Stiljger, both of The Netherlands, won the People’s Choice Award for duos with ‘Bedtime Story.’ The judges also gave them second place in the duos division.

Sculptors got right back up on the hill and re-carved it all after the storm.

Combined with earlier rains, Wednesday’s thunderstorm left much of the beach flooded, prompting police to close the beach road from Avenue G to Beach Access Road 1A.

Carl Jara of Lyndhurst, Ohio nabbed first place in the solo division for his work, titled ‘New Arrival.’

Carl Jara of Lyndhurst, Ohio nabbed first place in the solo division for his work, titled ‘New Arrival.’

When all the rain was hitting, SandFest organizers discussed the idea of possibly cancelling the event, Etheridge said.

“We said, ‘At what point do we call this event?’ ” he said. “I said, ‘It’s too late. Vendors are starting to come to town. People are coming to town anyway, so we’re just going to do the best we can.’ ”

Despite periods of dry, even sunny weather, the grounds of SandFest remained dappled with big and small puddles throughout its run. High winds took down some tents, but workers put them right back up again.

Lucinda Wierenga, left, of South Padre Island, and Emerson Schreiner of Grand Rapids, Mich., claimed third place in the duos division for their sculpture, titled ‘Carousel of Cosmic Possibilities.’

Lucinda Wierenga, left, of South Padre Island, and Emerson Schreiner of Grand Rapids, Mich., claimed third place in the duos division for their sculpture, titled ‘Carousel of Cosmic Possibilities.’

The weather got nicer Saturday, and traffic heading to the beach backed up on Cut- Off Road at least to Avenue C. Motorists encountered stop-and-go traffic on State Hwy. 361 as far south as the Sandpiper condominiums.

Still, Etheridge said law enforcement did a good job of controlling traffic flow.

Abe Waterman of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and Morgan Rudluff of Santa Cruz, Calif., embraced first place in the duos division with ‘Cosmic Dance.’

Abe Waterman of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and Morgan Rudluff of Santa Cruz, Calif., embraced first place in the duos division with ‘Cosmic Dance.’

Another kind of trouble for the festival erupted on the morning of Sunday, April 26.

At about 6 a.m., a group of people who appeared to be teenagers approached the SandFest grounds on golf carts and motorized bicycles and vandalized about 30 finished sculptures in the amateur competition area, Etheridge said. Luckily, the pieces already had been judged.

The vandals didn’t damage the children’s area, but they did climb up the high centerpiece sculpture, where they defaced the main Sandfest logo and many of the ads.

Brian Wigelsworth, who created ‘On The Road Again,’ took the People’s Choice award in the solo division and second place in among solos, too. He is from Sarasota, Fla.

Brian Wigelsworth, who created ‘On The Road Again,’ took the People’s Choice award in the solo division and second place in among solos, too. He is from Sarasota, Fla.

They tore down part of the chain link fence that surrounded the master sculptors’ area, but they didn’t get to the sculptures before security guards began chasing them, Etheridge said.

All of the vandals got away. Port Aransas Police Chief Scott Burroughs said his department was investigating, but no arrests had been made as of Monday, April 27.

Port Aransas sand sculptor Chip Cooper, who worked as a volunteer in the children’s sculpting area, said the vandalism bothered him a lot.

“You can’t print what I’d like to say about those guys,” Cooper told a reporter. “Some of our kids are growing up without values or morals.”

Despite the vandals’ attack and wet conditions, visitors seemed to enjoy the festival.

“It’s awesome,” said Paul Roberts, a Corpus Christi resident who was strolling through the SandFest grounds with his family Sunday. “I like all of the beach festivals and little town festivals … but the work some of these people have done on these creations is amazing.”

(Photos of SandFest winners and other images captured at the festival are on other pages of this edition.)

Masters Winners

Duo Division

First Place – ‘Cosmic Dance’
Abe Waterman, Prince Edward Island, Canada and
Morgan Rudluff, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Second Place – ‘Bedtime Story’
Edith van de Wtering, The Netherlands and Wilfred
Stiljger, The Netherlands
Third Place – ‘Carousel of Cosmic
Possibilities’
Lucinda Wierenga, South Padre Island and Emerson
Schreiner, Grand Rapids, Mich.
People’s Choice – ‘Bedtime Story’
Edith van de Wtering and Wilfred Stiljger

Solo Division

First Place – ‘New Arrival’
Carl Jara, Lyndhurst, Ohio
Second Place – ‘On the Road Again’
Brian Wigelsworth, Sarasota, Fla.
Third Place – ‘Blown Away’
Damon Langlois, Victoria, B.C., Canada
People’s Choice – ‘On the Road Again’
Brian Wigelsworth

Amateur Winners

Guppy
Winners listed alphabetically — Josie Orines, Corpus Christi; Emily Preciado, San Antonio; Finley White, Wimberley
Youth Solo
1st– Victoria Culp, Manor
Youth Team
Results not available
Teen Solo
1st– William Straub, ‘The Fort,’ Fort Worth
2nd– Kaila Orines, ‘The Octopus,’ Corpus Christi
Teen Teams
1st– ‘Nishtar Sandworm,’ Coloring Book Team, Austin
2nd– ‘Far Out Man,’ Akins Eagles Team, Austin
3rd– ‘Chiro Tractor,’ Beet Salad Team, Austin
Adult Solo
1st– Ken Barrett, ‘Easter Island Heads,’ Bayside
2nd– Karl Herpel, ‘What Mouse?’ Fort Worth
3rd– Albert Lucio Jr., ‘Up to My Neck,’ Austin
Adult Teams
1st– ‘My Humps,’ Those Austin Girls, Austin
2nd– ‘Tall Castle,’ Sand Scrapers, Fort Worth
3rd– ‘Tikal,’ Team ATX, Manor

Amateur Entry Totals:

Guppy– 9
Youth Solo– 11
Youth Team– 4
Teen Solo– 2

Teen Team– 12
Adult Solo– 13
Adult Team– 19


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