THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 27, 1995 TAG: 9509270198
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 132 lines
JOHN GOWDY DREAMED several weeks ago that he saw last year's sandcastle winner sculpt a beautiful entry for this year's competition.
Upon awakening, Gowdy said to himself ``Shoot! I can't steal his idea!''
Then the Atlantic City fire captain remembered that his competitor wasn't going to this year's Neptune Festival. And all's fair in love and sandcastle building, especially when the theme is the ``Roaring '20s.''
``The theme really threw me this year,'' said Gowdy, 38, one of the nine masters who will be competing this weekend at the Sandcastle Classic. ``I couldn't believe I had that dream. He was sculpting this great idea - I think I'm going to use it.
``But I can't tell you what it is - it's top secret stuff.''
By far, the most popular event at the Neptune Festival is the Sandcastle Classic, which is held on the final two days of the two-week festival. The competition attracts professionals from around the country as well as local youths and teams sponsored by businesses and organizations. Hordes of spectators crowd around the competitors, who kick off the event by frantically racing back and forth from the sand to the ocean. They shovel loads of sand and haul buckets of brine to their assigned spot, mixing and packing until getting the right consistency with which to start sculpting.
It's a unique group of people who build sandcastles, said Sandcastle Classic chairman Donna Tate. They may be deathly competitive while building their entries, but they hang out together when the contest is over.
``The spirit and camaraderie of the competition is wonderful for the spectators - they love to see them,'' said Tate. ``There's no age limit as to who can enjoy the sandcastles. It brings out the little bit of child in all of us.
``The sandcastle competition adds a lot of flavor to the Neptune Festival.''
What probably adds the most spice are the professional sand sculptors who work individually and travel the festival circuit every fall, hoping to snare the top prize at each show. This masters competition will net the first-place winner $2,000; second place gets $1,000 and third place will receive $500.
What's new about this year's event is that the masters competition takes place over two days and the entrants will judge each other. Overnight security will be in place Saturday for the first day's production of castles. This year the masters also will receive a free hotel room that they will share with another competitor, and Oceanfront restaurants are picking up their meals.
``The masters never got anything before, which is a shame,'' said Tate. ``They're coming here on their own with a chance of winning or walking away with nothing. I'm delighted that local businesses are (donating the meals and rooms) for this event.''
So are the professionals. Damon Farmer, a computer animator from Lexington, Ky., has been to every Neptune Festival since 1988. The 46-year-old enters four to five contests a year, usually if the sponsors provide at least a hotel room. Sandsculpting is such an enjoyable avocation for him, however, that he never minded spending money to travel to Virginia Beach. He likes the Neptune Festival but thinks the sand could use some improving.
``I would have to say that Virginia Beach has the worst of the big contest sands,'' said Farmer, who has been sandsculpting since 1974 and specializes in human shapes. ``I think it's because there's so much ocean turnover - it makes the grains of sand rounder and not as granular. It doesn't hold form as well.''
Despite that handicap, Farmer has won the masters competition four times. Last year, for the ``Vive la Neptune'' theme, Farmer netted second for his image of King Neptune as Napoleon, which he called ``Neptoleon.'' One year the theme was ``Neptune Celebrates,'' and Farmer built Neptune and a mermaid making toast in a toaster for first place.
Farmer likens sandsculpting to throwing pots, although with sandbuilding you start at the top of the sculpture and work your way down.
``You have to sort of imagine what's underneath and carve it down from the top,'' said Farmer. ``It's hard to visualize in a block.''
Sandcastle building really is as difficult as it looks. It's a long walk to the ocean, said Farmer, and that eats into your carving time.
While building, you can't talk to people or pose for pictures. And for seven straight hours, with a small lunch break, you're running, hauling, packing, bending, squatting, tensing muscles and squinting against the sun.
``It's good to be able to stand up at the end of an event, but if you're not exhausted you didn't work hard enough,'' he said with a chuckle.
The hardest part of sandcastle building, at least for John Gowdy, is coming up with the winning idea especially when a theme is involved.
Gowdy runs the sandcastle competitions in Atlantic City and will be featured on a Discovery Channel show, ``Start to Finish,'' in November where he takes viewers through the entire process of building castles.
``I get a lot of enjoyment out of it,'' said Gowdy, who has been sculpting nearly 10 years. ``I think I've got a very good shot at winning this year, but Damon is a tough competitor.
``But we all have an understanding,'' he added. ``It's a great group of people.'' MEMO: [For related stories, see page 9, 10 and 11 of The Beacon for this
date.]
ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
[Color photo]
THE MAGIC KINGDOM
Dr. Richard Mladick
File photos
King Neptune is one of the favorite images for sandsculpting year
after year. It was Floridian Christel Roever's choice during the
1990 festival.
Damon Farmer, from Lexington, Ky., left, has won the masters
competition four times. Above is his 1994 creation.
AT RIGHT: John Gowdy's entry last year was ``A Handful of Florida
Sand.'' This year the theme will be the Roaring '20s and his idea,
which is top secret, came to him in a dream.
BELOW: An intricate sculpture called ``The Odyssey'' was a 1991
entry. In the background, team members mix briny water in the sand
for the right consistency.
SPECTATORS GUIDE
The Sandcastle Classic will be held between 6th and 9th streets
along the Boardwalk, beginning Saturday at 8 a.m. with youth,
freelance and masters entries and continuing Sunday with the masters
and business and organization entries. Competition ends at 2 p.m.
each day. For other events, see complete schedule on page 11.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
[For a copy of the schedule, see page 11 of The Beacon for this
date.]
KEYWORDS: NEPTUNE FESTIVAL XX11 by CNB