Sand, sweat, and precision: Final day of sculpting on Fort Myers Beach

Sunday was the final day of the 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship, hosted on Fort Myers Beach.

It was a chilly morning on Fort Myers Beach, giving the sand sculptors one last obstacle to overcome before naming a champion.

Since every sculpture was immaculate, how would a champion stand out?

Well, Remy Haggard has an idea, “Wanted to dazzle with details…She’s wearing a crown of roses, the traditional Bulgarian garb. And, of course, there’s lots of roses.”

But that morning chill could give these artists a shakey hand.

Since each sculpture is incredible, one rose or thread out of place could be the difference between winning and losing.

Todd Pangborn, a fellow sculptor, said, “As far as the carving goes, the sand is a little bit more difficult.”

For the last decade, Pangborn has held the title of master sculptor. His piece, Prevailing Winds, was inspired by hurricanes.

“A hurricane, in its most fundamental element, is a battle between vertical and horizontal. So I have the vertical buildings and all the horizontal winds and the person coming out the front prevailing through the storms,” Pangborn explained to WINK News reporter Paul Dolan.

Each sculptor painstakingly crafts their masterpiece with meticulous precision.

But for Paul Haggard, it’s not a challenge; it’s–“Something magical. When you take all these creative people and put them together, something happening happens. It transcends sand and water. It’s something, it’s something more,” Haggard said.

A true spectacle built, carved and sculpted on Fort Myers Beach.