SANDimals from A to Z

On Sunday, Ron and I drove to Clearwater Beach for the Sugar Sand Festival, a beach party celebrating Clearwater’s famous soft, white sand. For the 17-day festival, master sand sculptors carved amazing works of art using nothing but sand, water and simple tools. This was the fourth time we've gone to the festival, and I thought it was the best one yet. This year's theme was “SANDimals, an Animal Adventure”. There were animals representing every letter of the alphabet, from aardvark to zebra, and even a few fictional creatures like the yeti and Chewbacca the Wookiee. Each sculpture had so much character and detail. While we were at the exhibit, several of the sculptors were carving individual pieces for a competition to raise money for local schools, so we got to watch their artwork come to life.

The End

Travel tips: The Sugar Sand Festival runs through April 24 and costs $12 a person. In addition to the sand sculptures, there are concerts, street performances, sand sculpting classes, and food and craft vendors. This year, the Alligator and Wildlife Discovery Center will be on-site to introduce some of their rescued reptiles and teach guests about Florida’s wildlife.