PORT ANGELES — Master sand sculptors have selected the best among them at the sand gallery on Hollywood Beach.
Now it’s the public’s turn to choose its favorites at the Windermere Sand Sculpture Classic contest, which is part of the Arts in Action festival continuing today on and around City Pier in Port Angeles.
The five master sand sculptors competing in this year’s contest also served as the judges in the juried contest, with results announced Saturday.
Here are the results of Saturday’s judging:
■ First place — Sue McGrew of Tacoma, “Hollywood Heroes.”
■ Second place — Fred Dobbs of Victoria, “Silent Film.”
■ Third place — Delayn Corbett of Vancouver, B.C., “Metropolis.”
■ Sculptors’ Choice — McGrew.
Other sculptors participating were Bill Dow of Montana — who also created a display sculpture outside of the Windermere Real Estate office at 711 E. Front St., Port Angeles — and Mark Chapman of Portland, Ore.
The awards bring small cash prizes, medals and “bragging rights,” said Doc Reiss of Nor’wester Rotary, which organizes Arts in Action; Steve Zenovic, Nor’wester Rotary past president, is the chairman of this year’s festival.
The sand sculpture contest presented by Windermere Real Estate is also a qualifying contest for the World Championship of Sand Sculpting.
People’s Choice awards will be announced later this week.
Voting for the People’s Choice awards began Saturday and is open today.
People’s Choice
For the first time in the history of the contest, there will be two People’s Choice awards this year — one for the master sand sculptors and another for the community teams who were coached in the techniques only shortly before they built their structures.
Visitors to the creations, all in this year’s theme of Hollywood, of the five master sand sculptors can vote with quarters as they view them.
They also can vote for their favorite of the two sculptures made by the community teams from Phoenix Dragon Martial Arts and Merrill & Ring.
Master sculptors on Saturday decided to give the Merrill & Ring team an award for Most Fun and the Phoenix Dragon’s team an award for Best Design.
World Master Bert Adams of Portland Ore. — organizer of the Sand in the City contests held throughout the nation and the display artist for this year’s event — taught the team members how to make a sculpture.
The two community teams did not compete with the master sculptors, and their sculptures were not required to fit this year’s “Hollywood” theme.
The inclusion of community teams was a first for the contest.
This year’s sand sculpture contest is co-sponsored by the Peninsula Daily News and other local businesses.
Festival activities
In addition to the sand sculpture gallery, Arts in Action offers nearly 50 vendors of arts and crafts, a beer and wine garden at the Red Lion Hotel, and a car show on City Pier.
Also on City Pier will be the Soul Shakers, performing from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
A special three-dimensional artwork has been prepared by Ian Morris, a Canadian sidewalk chalk artist, outside Captain T’s at 114 E. Front St.
Many downtown businesses are conducting sidewalk sales in conjunction with the Arts in Action festival.
Admission is free to the Arts in Action festival, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, except for the sand gallery.
Admission to the exhibit of sand sculptures is $2 for adults and free for children when they are accompanied by adults.
