Visit Manitowoc and the Manitowoc Sunrise Rotary are making preparations for the upcoming Sand Sculpting Festival this weekend.
Starting Friday (July 14th), 10 semi-pro sand sculptors from as far as Florida will take Red Arrow Beach to construct their pieces.
Kicking off at 2:00 Friday afternoon, the series will feature hands-on lessons, an open kids area, and the Quick Sand Speed Sculpting Show.
Bill Knight, the co-owner of The Sand Lovers and master sand sculptor explained to Seehafer News, “The audience chooses what they have to carve, and then we give them 10 minutes on the clock, and we say go and they have to carve it in 10 minutes.”
He also noted that the prompt can be anything.
He said, “Sometimes they do the Statue of Liberty, or I know one year it was like a dog in a firetruck in the jungle, just to challenge them. So, the shows are really really a big part of the event too, it’s a lot of fun.”
And on Saturday an Amateur Sand Sculpting State Championship will run, open to both individuals and teams.
The weekend is also set to include live music, vendors, and food trucks across the beachfront and will wrap up on Sunday evening with judging and awards of the semi-pro sculptures at 4:30.
The event would not have been possible without the support of the professional master sand sculptors and owners of The Sand Lovers, Bill and Marianne Knight.
The Sand Lovers have a long and rich history of “managing major sand sculpting events nationwide” currently including sand festivals in Michigan, Indiana, and Florida.
Knight urges the community to attend rain or shine, as rain will only create a few marks on the sculptures.
A shuttle service will also be available to transport event attendees from off-site parking to the event venue.
Full event details can be found online at VisitManitowoc.com
