A timeless pursuit: Building sand sculptures
By David Harry
Staff Writer
It took Windham resident Sarah MacLaughlin two hours to sculpt a turtle in the sand at Crescent Beach State Park last Saturday – 21 hours less than it took for her son Joshua to be delivered.
McLaughlin and her son came to the beach to compete in the second annual Sandsations fundraiser for Portland-based nonprofit Birth Roots Perinatal Resource Center, where she took classes to prepare for the natural childbirth of her son.
About a dozen teams spent part of the bright and breezy morning shaping and shifting piles of sand before beach visitors and a panel of judges awarded prizes. Birth Roots instructor Leah Deragon said the event raised about $1,000, with $800 from spectators who voted for favorite sculptures by buying pieces of candy and dropping them into cups for each team.
Beach bragging rights remained local – South Portland resident Lindsay Walsh was on the team that made a BLT sandwich to win the popular vote. Judges voted the lobster boat, trap and lobster sculptures made by the Wee Willie team as their favorites.
Cape Elizabeth resident Barbara Goodwin was a member of the Wee Willie team.
“It is in my neck of the woods and I love the beach,” Goodwin said, explaining why she came out for the competition.
Turtles were the most common sculpture theme theme – there were two on the beach – and other designs featured a dolphin, submarine and castle with 16 bridges.
MacLaughlin said she believes natural childbirth is the safest way to deliver a baby.
“I would not have wanted to do it any other way,” she said. “Part of it is not fighting it, you have to know it is a natural process.”
Cape Elizabeth resident Jennifer Fisher said she began breast-feeding and bottle-feeding techniques at Birth Roots after learning about the organization when her daughter, Hudson, was born.
Fisher said Birth Roots helped her adapt through her first year of motherhood, a time she called “trying, intense and wonderful, an extreme change.”
Sand sculptors praised beach conditions that required an occasional spritz of water to help shape the sand but little else for maintenance.
“This could not be a more perfect day,” Falmouth resident Paula Kennedy said as she set small rocks and shells into the lobster boat.
Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.
Staff Writer
It took Windham resident Sarah MacLaughlin two hours to sculpt a turtle in the sand at Crescent Beach State Park last Saturday – 21 hours less than it took for her son Joshua to be delivered.
McLaughlin and her son came to the beach to compete in the second annual Sandsations fundraiser for Portland-based nonprofit Birth Roots Perinatal Resource Center, where she took classes to prepare for the natural childbirth of her son.
About a dozen teams spent part of the bright and breezy morning shaping and shifting piles of sand before beach visitors and a panel of judges awarded prizes. Birth Roots instructor Leah Deragon said the event raised about $1,000, with $800 from spectators who voted for favorite sculptures by buying pieces of candy and dropping them into cups for each team.
Beach bragging rights remained local – South Portland resident Lindsay Walsh was on the team that made a BLT sandwich to win the popular vote. Judges voted the lobster boat, trap and lobster sculptures made by the Wee Willie team as their favorites.
Cape Elizabeth resident Barbara Goodwin was a member of the Wee Willie team.
“It is in my neck of the woods and I love the beach,” Goodwin said, explaining why she came out for the competition.
Turtles were the most common sculpture theme theme – there were two on the beach – and other designs featured a dolphin, submarine and castle with 16 bridges.
MacLaughlin said she believes natural childbirth is the safest way to deliver a baby.
“I would not have wanted to do it any other way,” she said. “Part of it is not fighting it, you have to know it is a natural process.”
Cape Elizabeth resident Jennifer Fisher said she began breast-feeding and bottle-feeding techniques at Birth Roots after learning about the organization when her daughter, Hudson, was born.
Fisher said Birth Roots helped her adapt through her first year of motherhood, a time she called “trying, intense and wonderful, an extreme change.”
Sand sculptors praised beach conditions that required an occasional spritz of water to help shape the sand but little else for maintenance.
“This could not be a more perfect day,” Falmouth resident Paula Kennedy said as she set small rocks and shells into the lobster boat.
Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.
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