Watch: Sculpting Sand in Edmonds

Jaida Rose and Izzy Day, both age 7, struggled to carry a full bucket of wet sand up the beach in Edmonds Tuesday.

But, they had purpose.

They were planning to use that sand to construct a volcano, for their entry in the annual City of Edmonds Sand Sculpting Contest.

The free, open-to-all-ages event took place July 23 at Marina Beach with 450 participants including families, groups of friends and day camp groups. Groups were made up of toddlers, children, teens, adults and seniors. 

A previous winner, Mike O'Day, said the sunny weather wasn't ideal for sculpting because when the sun dries the sand, it's more difficult to sculpt. He and friend Julie Perrine, along with their kids, created a hippo of sorts, which Perrine titled, My Hippisaur (My hip is sore). Their creation earned them second place in the Adult/Family all ages category.

"It's a good way to get the kids out of bed and outside," O'Day said of the event." "It's a good way to get me out of bed and outside," he added with a laugh.

Participants signed up for one of the three categories - Children Group Category (ages 14 and under with no adults), Adult/Family Group Category (all ages) and Day Camp/Daycare/Large Group Category. 

They could creative anything as long as it was in good taste for a family friendly event.  At noon, four judges picked the top two groups and one honorable mention in each category.  The top two of each category received a Bucket Award, a beach bucket filled with salt water taffy. Honorable Mentions received bags of salt water taffy, all donated by Nama’s Candy Store. 

Following are the award recipients.

Children Group (ages 14 & under with no adults)

1. “Sand Castle: moat, gate and shield” by Robert and Ian of Lynnwood
2. “Beauty of the Sea: portrait of a beautiful woman” by Iris and Talia of Seattle
3. Honorable Mention “Messengers: three towers, bridge and large moat” by Ava and Audrey Messinger of Edmonds

1. “Leo the Lion: July 23 first day of Leo Zodiak sign” by Brooke Smith and Courtney Rogers of Snohomish
2. “Myhippisaur: mythical creature stalking Edmonds beaches” by the Lemon Family of Brier and Edmonds
3. Honorable Mention “The Weirdest Thing: man dragging himself free from giant seaweed” by Leah n’ Helen of Seattle

1. “The Hammerhead Shark” by Kamp Kookamunga Group 3 of Lynnwood
2. “The Tortoise: basking in the sun” by Kamp Kookamunga Group 1 of Lynnwood
3. “Crab City” by Tulalip Montessori of Tulalip