Bill Gillhespy Fort Myers Beach Realtor

The Fort Myers Beach 2009 Sand Sculpting Championship is in the books. It appears crowds this year were slightly less than last year. Perhaps the windy weather or economy held things down. Those in attendance were treated to an excellent contest and the following pics show the talent of the 16 Master carvers.

The themes ranged from the whimsical to the patriotic. This eagle was a crowd pleaser.

Imagine the time spent carving these geo designs !

Dolphins are always popular and this carving was a hit with the kids !

Castles in the sky or on Fort Myers Beach. Crowd favorite Amazin' Walter makes it look easy !

And the winner is ?!?!?! This entry qualifies the carver for the World Championship in Washington D.C.

Hope you enjoyed my pics of the 2009 Fort Myers Beach Sand Sculpting Championships. All pics takes with a Nikon D80, 18 - 155 tele or Sugma 10-20 wide angle.

Let me help you find your own castle here in paradise !

The 2009 Fort Myers Beach Sand Sculpting Championships are in high gear with 16 National and World Champions working feverishly to meet the deadline for completion and judging. Crowds drove, cycled, walked, bused and trollied to the Holiday Inn on Fort Myers Beach to see the carvers up close.

Carvers use different things for inspiration and some of the entries reflect an eclectic flair.

Would your kids even know what this is ?!?!

Some sculpting seem to defy gravity !

Looking for a room with a view far above the madding crowd ?

This one is more of a geometric interpretaion.

And my personal favorite from " Amazin' Walter " .

The action is really starting to heat up as the carvers are allowed to start the " pound up " for their creations. The " pound up " as it is affectionately known is when the carvers, without any help, position their wooden forms ontheir designated plot of sand. The sand is native to Fort Myers Beach and considered to be some of the best inthe world.

Each wooden form is filled by shovel with sand for 3-4 inches. Then water is poured in the form and the carver then " tamps " the mixture with a 15 pound tamper ! This is brutal, back breaking work which goes on for several hours. As each form is filled to the top the carver then positions another on top of the first. At this point shoveling sand and hoisting buckets of water become even more difficult as some of them are 3 or 4 forms high !

Men and women compete against each other for top honors. No helpers allowed !

The weather has taken a turn for the cooler and some dark menacing clouds threatened to risrupt the hard work of the carvers. The event goes on regardless of the weather !

Crowds are building for the final presentation and judging on Sunday. I'll be there! Hope your enjoying the 2009 Fort Myers Beach Sand Sculpting contest as much as I am !

The 2009 Fort Myers Beach 23rd Annual Sand Sculpting contest Day 3 was Thursday Nov 5, 2009. The individual piles of sand are in place and ready for the carvers to begin ! This picture shows a contestant assembling the forms for her entry. After the forms are in place the carver, without help from otherss ) starts filling the form with sand. After filling several inches of sand the contestant pours water into the form and uses a 15 lb tamper to pack the water/sand mixture. This is brutal work and gets even more difficult as the forms get higher and higher.

The first sculpting involves creation of corporate logos for sponsors. This is done free hand and often involves handing the carver a business card from which they must create an exact replica. In this picture you can see a business card in the left hand of the carver and her design starting to take shape !

The corporate logo pile is located directly in front of the Holiday Inn on the beach side.

Some of the amazing detail on the logos makes wandering among the sculptings a real treat !

After many hours the corporate logo pile begins to take shape !

The 2009 Fort Myers Beach 23rd Annual Sand Sculpting Contest - Day 2 photos. Things are definitely heating up as world class sculptors converge on the beach in front of the Fort Myers Beach Holiday Inn to begin carving in earnest. The first challenge is to turn what was a huge pile of beach sand into a collection of corporate logos !

These sand piles are the raw material for what will eventually be the finished sculptings. The sand is from our beach and considered some of the best in the world for it's " carving, holding and finishing " characteristics.

This huge pile of sand sits in front of the Holiday Inn and provides a terific public relations boost for the corporate sponsors. All carving is done free hand with various tools and a whole lot of patience !

Carvers will complete the corporate logo sandpile and then begin the individual sculptings.

Visitors to the island can watch the competition from the Tiki deck at the Fort Myers Beach Holiday Inn or stroll through the individual carvings. Admission ( Fri _ Sun ) is $3/kid, $5/adult & $10/family.

The 23rd Annual Fort Myers Beach Sand Sculpting contest runs through Sunday Nov 8, 2009. Bring the family and don't forget the camera ! I'll post Day 3 tomorrow ! Your comments are always welcome !