News

At Salisbury Beach, sand castles will rise to greet the sun

By Kirsten Michener
Staff writer
Published: July 4, 2009

SALISBURY BEACH — With the sun scheduled to show its much-missed face today, the beach is expecting big crowds for its second annual sand castle contest.

Called the Sand Sculpting Spectacular, the event will include sand castle competitions all day today and tomorrow on Salisbury Beach, with a free concert tonight by the Bruce Marshall Group at 7, followed by fireworks at 10.

Sand castle-building lessons will be offered at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. today and tomorrow.

Justin Gordon, owner of Elwin Designs in Groveland, has more than 35 years of sculpting experience under his belt, and he offered some tips on making an award-winning sand castle.

Gordon said to start with the basics: Wet sand is best to work with when building.

"Water helps hold it together," Gordon said.

Gordon, who graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1983, has made a name for himself in the sand sculpting world. With a partner who paints the sculpture when finished, he placed fifth in the World Sand Sculpture Competition in Canada, as has taken part in the Topsfield Fair and the Hampton Beach Sand Sculpture event each year. In Topsfield, Gordon builds a sculpture out of 50 tons of sand, which extends to a height of 15 feet. When asked how he acquired his skills, Gordon said, "I went to the beach and started messing around."

If building a sand castle is on your agenda this weekend, the first thing you should do is perform a sand test, Gordon said. This simple task requires a person to make a ball of sand in their hand. Once this is done, squeeze the ball of sand very tightly. If the sand stays together, then it is good sand. Good sand is also very high in silt. Gordon said to begin building your sculpture tall and narrow with good sand, but with bad sand, go short and "squatty."

If you are bringing children with you to build, Gordon said to begin by making a big pile of sand. Pack the pile as you work, by packing layers of sand at a time. There is no particular structure that should be aimed for, but Gordon said to have the children try building what interests them.

"Bring a shovel and have fun," he said.

Some tools that would be helpful when sculpting include a spoon, putty knife, melon-baller and a plastic shovel. A misting bottle would also be helpful because it will keep the sand from drying out, Gordon said. Buckets of sand and water make for good sand trees he said, as well as to bring a picture of what you plan to sculpt for reference.

"Just go to the beach (and) have fun," Gordon said. "There are no limits."

An amateur sand castle competition has been added to the 4th of July Sand Sculpting Spectatular on the Salisbury Beach Center's Broadway Mall. For two hours, 10 contestants or families (no more than four per group) will compete for an award. Registration is at 11 a.m. today. The contest begins tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.

To learn more about Gordon and see pictures of his sculptures, visit www.elwindesigns.com.