Even after 37 years, Piccolo Spoleto’s annual sand sculpting competition is nothing short of fun.
The festival tradition turned Saturday’s cloudy morning into a creative art exhibit. The looming threat of rain didn’t dampen the participants’ upbeat mood or competitive drive.
Creators, spectators and furry friends flocked the Isle of Palms, decorating the beachfront with sculptures of sea creatures and patriotic tributes to America’s 250th birthday. More than 30 teams of up to four participants worked for hours to impress the judges.
Using only sand, water and hand tools, participants competed for top honors in four categories: Adult (21+), Young Adult (15-20), Family and Children (14 and under).
Sculptures were also eligible for Best Architectural, Most Creative and Best in Show awards. Sponsors such as Trader Joe’s donated prizes for the winners. Prizes this year included gift buckets filled with beach supplies, a trophy and a bicycle.
Alongside the competition, members of the Charleston Climate Coalition held a peaceful demonstration on the beach. Wearing masks and suits, they distributed flyers about a proposed pipeline.
Dogs roamed the shoreline throughout the morning, and even toddlers joined in by helping fill sand buckets.
The competition is an all-volunteer effort, said coordinator Chris Tindal.
“I started participating in 1989 until 1994,” he said. “Then, in 1995, I realized that there wasn’t a competition. When I called, they said it was because they didn’t have a coordinator that year.”
More than 30 years later, Tindal still organizes the beloved Piccolo Spoleto tradition.
Team Charbonneau won first place in the Adult: Best in Show category. Competition veterans, the team embraced this year’s America 250 theme with a sculpture featuring a bald eagle and the number 250.
“We used to live in Charbonneau and decided on that name,” one team member said. “Now we’ve been coming out here since the year 2000.”
Many teams showcased their artistic skills while enjoying the friendly competition, including Doug McAbee, a sculpture professor at Lander University in Greenwood. For several years, he has brought art students to the beach to create sand sculptures. This year marked only the second time he and his students entered the competition.
The Hot and Metal Beaches team entered a sculpture called “Miss Spoleto” and won second place in the Adult category.
“‘Miss Spoleto’ represents the entire festival,” McAbee said.
Madelyn Taylor and Wesley J. Pérez Vidal are magazine, news and digital journalism graduates of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
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