DUNKIRK
Sand castles get artistic at festival
DUNKIRK — Carl Jara is raising eyebrows while busily sculpting his masterpiece on the beach at Dunkirk — “Siren of the Sea,” complete with musical tributes.
“I was thinking about the famous [Lake Erie] shipwrecks as well as Dunkirk’s musical festivals this weekend,” he said.
Jara, a nine-time world champion in sand sculpting, is on hand for the three-day Chadwick Bay Beach Bash Festival, which features music and competitions from today through Sunday.
Jara, a Cleveland resident who has been featured on the Travel Channel show “Sand Blasters,” will offer lessons to those competing in Saturday’s sand castle contest. Class is in session at 10 a. m.; judging is at 7 p. m.
Considered a master sand sculptor, Jara works as an exhibits artisan/technician at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He has been sculpting with sand since he was in high school.
His intricate designs, he said, evolve as he sculpts, with the end result often different than what was originally planned.
“It depends on the sand and the ideas I have,” he said.
Jara is the only sand sculptor to have won “Sand Blasters” Sculptors’ Choice Award more than once. He also won a Best Recovery — an award issued after a sculptor’s work is blown up during “Sand Blasters” competitions.
City Clerk Bill Tuggle said Dunkirk is the only Western New York community on Jara’s promotional itinerary this year. His talents have taken him all over the world. This year, he created a sculpture at the Daytona 500 and also participated in one of the world’s largest sand sculptures in San Diego.
He noted each area has unique sand. Dunkirk’s sand has irregular granules and textures, flecked with bits of shale.
Jara has set up shop, mixing and pouring the sand, just feet away from Main Street near Route 5 on the city’s long public beach.
He encourages people of all ages to attend the lessons and enter the contest.
“You never know if you have talent until you try,” he said. “My advice is to try to think in 3-D,” he added.
The master sculptor has some suggestions for hopefuls entering Saturday’s contest:
Most tools of the trade can be found in the kitchen or garage, with shovels and buckets the obvious choices. Other handy sand-sculpting gadgets include a trowel, small brushes and kitchen implements, including spoons and a butter knife.
The Sand Castle contest has three categories: families, adults-only groups and business or corporate groups.
Contestants will have from noon until 7 p. m. to complete their works. Awards will follow.
For more information and a schedule, go to www. cityofdunkirk. com.
