Volume 15, January 1, 2007
Texas SandFest
The Texas Sand Sculpture Festival
| 2007 SandFest SandFest is a huge three-day sand sculpture festival. Dates: March 30-April 1, 2007 Where: On the beautiful beach in Port Aransas, Texas. Beach Marker 9-11 Time: Dawn until dusk More info: www.sandfest.com Sponsors Needed!!!! Click Here SandFest has 4 partners for 2007 In the past, SandFest has helped the local art center and the theater but in 2007 we will be partnering with four wonderful Port Aransas civic organizations. SandFest will fundraise for those organizations in exchange for volunteer hours and help at SandFest. |
Karen Fralich, Toronto Canada, wins First Place in SPI with "Rebirth."
Major fun was had by one and all. Several of our SandFest master sculptors also compete at South Padre.
Karen, a SandFest regular, made her mum
proud, again. |
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For our 2007 festival (March 30-April 1) we have agreed to partner with:
Each has
promised 150 hours to SandFest so if you want to help SandFest and any of
these great organizations, please contact them. These
partnerships will make SandFest run smoother and also help these wonderful
community organizations. Each
partner will have a coordinator to organize their team of volunteers. The Art Center will be painting our pith
helmets and handling our pith helmet raffle and other misc. assistance.
Mary Rose 749-7334 to volunteer. The Port Aransas Food Pantry will be coordinating our “Photo Op” at our Demo and the Grounds Keeper Crew. Kim Fon 749-0552 Friends Of The ARK will be running our raffle. Contact Keith McMullin 361-749-7500 to volunteer. |
In case you missed it, here are the winners in the
Sandcastle Days Master's Competition: Our own (OK...she isn't ours but we adopted her) Suzanne Altamare, from Daytona, Florida. Suzanne works (above) on the Sandcastle Day's "Demo." Suzanne competes at SandFest every year where she always comes in early to help on our "Demo" too.
JOOheng Tan |
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Letters
We love to get mail! Write us and tell us about your experience at SandFest or ask us a question about our sculptors, sand sculpting, or the festival. We would love to hear from you. TexasSandFest@yahoo.com Dear SandFest, My whole family, 12 of us, come to Port Aransas every year for SandFest. The place we always stay at is already booked full! We need to find a new hotel. Are they ALL full? Amy T. Thank you in advance. PS OOPS, forgot to tell you: WE LOVE SANDFEST!!!! EDITOR: Dear Amy, No, there are still rooms available. Here is a link to our Business Directory: Click But, yes, many are all getting booked up. It is always best to reserve them early. At each SandFest the dates are set for the following festival so you can even book your room for the following year while you are here. |
SOS - HELP -
SandFest needs sponsors! Obviously it takes a lot of money to put on an event of this nature. An essential part is flying the Master Sculptors here, their hotels, meals, prize money, advertising, potties, tents... There wouldn't be an event if it weren't for our generous sponsors. We still do not have a sponsor for our DUO competition's prize money ($4,000) nor for our Entertainment Tent ($1,000). A few of our master sculptors still need sponsors and we still have some sand logos and ads to sell. SandFest is a great event so get your company involved. Sponsor Info: click here Sponsors: - get their names seen by a very large number of people, both at the event and in our advertisings. - help to provide a great family-oriented wholesome Festival. - help bring major tourist dollars into the island economy. - support SandFest which helps local civic organizations, the community, and the arts. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Master Sculptors 
Many of you have written asking which masters will be at SandFest this year. We expect to have about 20 master sculptors again. Some will compete in the Island Sports Solo competition and some in the two-person DUOs competition. Confirmed so far: Solo: Jeff Strong Katie Corning Bert Adams Karen Fralich Barry Swires Fred Mallet Suzanne Altamare DUOs: Mark Flynn & Jon Woodworth Bill Dow & Mark Chapman Amazin' Walter & Christy McDonald SandyFeet & Kirk Rademaker Mark Landrum & Mark Lambdin Meredith Corson & Dan Doubleday |
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| Dear Sandfest, I just love your web site. The photo of your sand sculptures are incredible. I didn't know you could make anything that big in sand. Are they really as tall as they look in the photos and how can I get more information about the city where you hold Sandfest? James M. from Cincinnati EDITOR: Dear James, Actually many people feel the photos don't really do the sculptures justice and they really must be seen in person. Yes, they are quite large. The majority in the Master's Solo competition are around 8 or 9 feet high but we often have a few that are 10 to 12 feet high. You may have also seen photos of our huge centerpiece, called the "demo." It is over 250 tons of sand and is about 25 feet tall. You can get more info on Port Aransas, Texas at our Chamber's web site: www.portaransas.org |
"Now...What
Was I Looking For???!" Photographer Brenda Barnett, Alton, ILL. |
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| SandFest Volunteers, We wanted to tell you how much we enjoy your SandFest. It obviously takes a great deal of work. Know that many of us really appreciate you all. We would help if we lived closer. Thanks, the Evan family, Dallas area EDITOR: Thanks. Yes all our volunteers work hard. Please consider joining Friends Of SandFest. Info is below: |
 Honorable
Mention"I Hate Segulls" Photographer Chris McCormick, Eastland, Texas. Sculpture by Bill Dow, Billings, Montana, and Mark Chapman, Portland, Oregon, sponsored by Bilmore & Son Hardware & Tackle. |
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 "Friends Of SandFest" is a group of people who love SandFest and have stepped in when we couldn't find a sponsor for our new DUOs contest. We still need a few more "friends" so anyone wanting to become a member of "Friends Of SandFest" please click here for info. Minimum donation is $50 and you get a certificate & a free event t-shirt. THANKS! |
 "Don't
Cut The Bodice Too Low...That's My Wife!" Photographer Deborah Rochon Alvarez, Victoria, Texas. Sculpture by Thomas Koets, from the Netherlands and Florida. Thomas is sponsored by the Pletz Construction Company, San Antonio. |
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| Sandblasters! We have had many letters about the Sand Blaster's show on Discovery's Travel Channel. Yes, you did see many of our SandFest sculptors in the 2006 Sand Blaster's event. The newest Sand Blasters will show on March 12, at 7pm ET/PT. on your Travel station, check your TV guide. Click here to see photos If you love sand sculpting, it is a must see, but expect an unusual twist. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dear Sandfest, Can you tell me about a sand contest in Galveston, Texas? I can't seem to find out more information about it. Is it similar to SandFest? Joe M. (Victoria, TX) Editor: The Houston AIA (American Institute of Architects) has an annual sand sculpting competition in Galveston usually in June. Their website does not have their 2007 date yet but you can read more about it: http://www.aiasandcastle.com/index.html No, it is somewhat different than SandFest. Our sculptors are master sand sculptors (professional sand sculptors). The Galveston contestants are teams of architects and engineers. A good time is had by all. The contest in 2006, at least, only had 5 hours of sculpting time so their sculptures are smaller. Our masters work over 20 hours. The contest in Texas that is most similar to SandFest is Sandcastle Days in South Padre: http://www.sandcastledays.com/ |
We get a lot of questions
about our vendors. Everyone wants to know if their favorite is
coming back. So...here is a list and yes, both the Marshmallow Gun
dude and the Almond Roaster guy will be there! Beach Enterprises - Jewelry / Beach Chairs Lion's Den Gallery - Waterfalls, metal sculptures Bling Creations - Jewelry, sunglasses, tank tops, handbags Island Woman - Island chic clothing Absolutely Everything - Beach wear and well, absolutely everything. Garnier Design - Gifts & Decorative Accessories Pretty Dam Cute - Ladies Fashions A Mano - Mexican Imports and incredible art. Luckey's Hut - Beaded jewelry, Sterling Silver, Purses D & K Hairware - Decorative Hair Clips Island Potters - Pottery Country Carver - Wood carved fish, ducks, shorebirds Cookie Lee Jewelry - Jewelry Toe-Cons by Connie - Toe-Cons, Jewelry, Gifts, Sandals, Sarongs Totally Toes - Toe Rings Little Joe's Smoken' Grill - Food & drink Diva D's - Jewelry, Sunglasses Barb's Marbles Rocks & Stuff - Polished Rocks, Jewelry, Toys Linda Chan's Concession- Teriyaki chicken, egg roll, shrimp, fried rice Recycled Creations/Giddy Up Swings - Tropical bird planters, swings Campus Ragz- College T shirts, Ladies Apparel, Children's T's, Caps Bo's Woodworks - Wood work, yard art Jay Group Sunglasses - Sunglasses Alenna's Gifts - puppets, temporary body art, chairs, swim suits Surfrider Foundation Cen.TX Chapter - The Wave Sea Shore Originals - Art Island Rocks - Guitar pick earrings, jewelry, hats Keep Port Aransas Beautiful Larry Charles - Watercolor Paintings Tails in the Wind - Kites, spinners, wind socks, garden accessories Airfern.Com - Sunglasses, Jewelry, Windchimes, Yard Art Eureka Woodworks - Wooden garden & yard furniture Splendor in Glass & Color - Beach paintings, cards, painted glass Kiwanis Club www.GetDirtyPlayintheSand.com - T-shirts HJF Trading - Caps, visors, sunglasses, necklaces, toys, etc. Westmoreland - Lemonade, Corndogs Granger's Seafood - Shrimp Basket, Blooming Onions, Gyros, Nachos Hatchers Roasted Corn - Roasted Corn, Crawfish, Sausage on a Stick Fruitful Endeavors - Chocolate dipped fruit, cheesecake D & J Concessions - Funnel cake, turkey leg, hamburger, fried Twinkies Euro Pizza - Pizza, Hot Wings, Shaved Ice, Soft Drinks, Bottled water SnowTime Confections - Snowcones, Pretzels, Hot Dogs, Corn Chips Copper Driving Lens - Great sunglasses Austin Air Ventures - Kites, spinners, etc. The Almond Roaster - Roasted Almonds |
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 YEAH. Petco is sponsoring our Pet Oasis Tent again. Thanks Petco - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coastline Adventures Vacation Rentals is sponsoring our Lesson Mountain. Lesson Mountain has free lessons the Saturday before SandFest and all during SandFest.  |
We are expecting the best
SandFest ever. |
Send a link to this newsletter to all your friends.
See you March 30-April 1, 2007!