By Rob Katz
The Department of Parks and Recreation held its annual Sand Blast beach sculpture competition at Greenwich Point Beach on Sunday, July 30. Over a few hours, between 50 to 75 sculpted works were built as children and adults competed across the beach’s stretch.
Patricia Troiano, Recreation Supervisor for the department, estimated that, as there were two to 10 people working on each sculpture, 200 to 300 sculptors may have participated on Sunday.
The winning sculpture was based on the fantasy television and book series “Game of Thrones,” and included the fictional city of King’s Landing. The runners-up were a twelve-foot long mermaid sleeping on the sand, and a boat that Troiano called “life-sized.”
The participating works were marked with flags, all of which were donated by another sponsor, the Greenwich Arts Council. Incognito judges observed each flagged piece without letting sculp-tors know they were being evaluated.
The three prizes were donated by Beachmate, which describes itself as a “lifestyle brand for beachgoers” and was launched in New Canaan in March of last year, according to the New Ca-naanite. The first-place winner received a Beachmate system, the company’s flagship product, and each runner-up won a custom beach towel.
Every participant of Sand Blast 2017 was given a commemorative ribbon and a complimentary coupon from sponsor Meli-Melo.
Troiano was impressed by the winning pieces, and affirmed her appreciation for the competition.
“This event in particular, I think, promotes community spirit, family time and family fun and artistic development,” Troiano said.
As well, Troiano said that the event offers a change of pace from the Recreation Division’s usual youth programs.
Jack Coyle, Executive Director of the Greenwich Arts Council, praised Sunday’s weather as well as the competition’s turnout.
“Yesterday was a particularly beautiful beach day and the number of participants was impres-sive, as were the creations,” Coyle said.
Coyle also saw Sand Blast as an occasion for community outreach by the Arts Council.
“It is an opportunity for the Council to reach out during a beloved summer tradition and to intro-duce the Council to an audience that may not be aware of where we are and what we do,” Coyle said. “Sand Blast provides a chance for community engagement at a spectacular location.”
