THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9510010073
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
Donna Tate was petrified Friday night when she heard that it would rain this weekend.
Rain would have wiped out the most popular event at the Neptune Festival, the Sandcastle Classic. Tate, the event's chairman, had worked for months to bring in the country's top sand-sculptors to compete for a $2,000 prize in the masters class of the contest. The seven sculptors have been treated as royally as King Neptune, given free hotel rooms at the Ramada and complimentary meals at Oceanfront restaurants.
But Mother Nature proved to be as fickle as ever on Saturday, and saved the event with 70-degree temperatures and partly sunny skies. The only thing working against the sand-carvers was the brisk 25- to 30-mph wind.
``It could've been so much worse,'' a windblown Tate said on the Boardwalk, as she watched the masters compete.
The sculptors ignored the wind as they feverishly shoveled sand and hauled buckets of water from the ocean all morning to their assigned spaces on the beach. By noon, most had piled enough wet sand to start carving their entries for the two-day contest, which will award $1,000 to second place and $500 for third. The theme for this year's competition is the Roaring '20s.
Richard Varano, a professional sand-sculptor at Sea World in Orlando, is embracing the theme in an unusually creative way. Varano blew away bits of sand with a narrow tube as he carved an intricate bust of King Neptune atop a 5-foot high pile of packed sand. Twenty sea lions, rocks and splashing water will surround the bust by 2 p.m. today for his entry, ``King Neptune's Twenty Roaring Sea Lions.''
``I like that the Neptune Festival has a theme - it's unique,'' said Varano, the current national sand-sculpting champion. ``This is one of the best-prepared and well-organized festivals I've been to. I don't come here for the money, but it gives me a chance to see friends in the industry and it gives me ideas for some of my sculptures.''
This is the first Sandcastle Classic for Chuck Feld, a horticulturist from West Chester, Pa. His emerging Gatsby Mansion was a hit with the crowd. They watched, enthralled, as Feld carefully etched dozens of tiny windows into the elaborate mansion. He sticks to architectural themes because he's ``no good at faces.''
``Normally I would have the windows go all the way through to the other side,'' Feld said, reclining against the base of the mansion. ``But it's too windy.''
Another new entrant is Dan ``Wild Man'' Meyer from Tampa. The teacher of corporate incentive programs and former Disney animator didn't even know what he was sculpting until about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. But by 2 p.m., Meyer had carved two cartoon characters sitting back to back. He will add a version of King Neptune today.
``I had no idea what I was going to do until I did it,'' Meyer said. ``If plan A doesn't work, you go with Plan B. But I have yet to beat anybody.''
Damon Farmer, a computer animator from Lexington, Ky., is one of the favorites. Farmer has been to every Neptune Festival since 1988 and has won four times. This year his entry is ``Roaring Down the Beach May Be Hazardous to Your Motor Car,'' which involves a car from the 1920s and King Neptune.
``I was going to use a flapper theme but thought I had enough for a car,'' said the long and lanky Farmer, his brown hair pulled into a ponytail. He's the No. 2 ranked solo sand-sculptor in the world. ``We're going to be judging each other, and I'm never thrilled with that - it's hard to be objective.''
He was worried about leaving his creation overnight, but was assured by Tate that overnight security will be provided for everyone's sculpture. The creations were sprayed with a mixture of Elmer's Glue and water to help retain their shapes overnight.
John Gowdy, an Atlantic City fire captain, is taking an ``it's out of my hands'' approach in case of vandalism or ornery weather.
``If something happens, you deal with it,'' said Gowdy with a shrug as he carved H.G. Wells' Time Machine. ``You'll just have to pull it off. It's good training for life.'' ILLUSTRATION: D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/Staff color photos
Richard Varano, a professional sand-sculptor from Orlando, Fla.,
blows sand from his sculpture of King Neptune Saturday.
Chuck Feld, of West Chester, Pa., in his first competition, chose
the Great Gatsby's mansion.
by CNB