Sugar Sand Festival

We decided this morning that since today would be the coolest day of the week (yes, we are to THAT time of year where heat dictates activity), we would drive over to Clearwater Beach for the 2017 Sugar Sand Festival.

Merchants set up a gigantic tent on the beach to house the
white sand sculptures for the festival.

Each year, merchants in Clearwater set up a HUGE tent and invite professional sand sculptors to carve over 1000 tons of the white sugar sand for which Clearwater Beach is known. The Festival, of course, is their way of attracting thousands of people to visit their beach... and the hundreds of tourist-trap shops that line the beach... and the restaurants and bars... and the expensive hotels...

Inside the tent, the nautical theme greets people at the door.

I am always amazed that some people actually are "professional" sand sculptors. Can you imagine going to your parents and saying, "Mom, Dad, I have decided to ditch college and to become a professional sand sculptor."  Wow!  That really would have gone over well at our house!  Truthfully, if I were that artistically inclined, I certainly would create something in a medium much more permanent than sand!

I think this sculptor spent too much time watching "Pirates
of the Caribbean."

Anyway, the tickets were only $8.00 for old geezers (55+), and Clearwater Beach just completed a new parking ramp a couple of blocks north of Pier 60, so we were able to park close by and in the shade.  Such a deal!

Some sculptures were massive, like this "Funky Fish" display...

... and parts of others were small, like this
two-foot-high mermaid.

The theme this year was "the sea."  Truthfully, although some sculptures were really well done, we did not think this year's show was as intricately carved nor as imaginative as last year's "music" themed show.  We still had fun, though, and I am glad that we took the time to go down and to see the works.

Even Spongebob Squarepants was part of the show. 

Today was a quiet day for the Festival.  Usually, they also have bands playing, sculpting events, and other activities in which people can partake.  Live music and some events will start later on today; actually, we are happy to leave that to others.  We arrived just as the show was opening at 10:00 a.m., and we were home before noon.

The mechanical fish was cute.

Some of the "amateur" sculptures were really good.

We passed a park going to and from the sand tent.  I have to admit that Clearwater Beach goes out of its way to give visitors of all ages fun activities to occupy their time.  Since Owen is really into space right now, I am sure that he would have loved these space-themed slides in the park.

Slide in the park, anyone?

On the way back to the parking ramp, we stopped off and did a little shopping.  After all, we have to take something back from Florida for Owen when we leave in a couple of weeks.