Sand piles up in Revere for annual sculpture festival

REVERE – It doesn’t get rolling until next Wednesday, but the city’s 12th annual International Sand Sculpting Festival is already taking shape on Revere Beach with mounds of sand dumped Friday morning next to the ocean.The three-day festival officially starts Friday, July 24 at 10 a.m., after sculptors spend Wednesday and Thursday creating their work. Festival spokeswoman Kelly Gift said the event in past summers has drawn 700,000 visitors to the beach for an extended weekend of entertainment, food and sculpture viewing.”The festival is a greatly anticipated annual summer event in the Greater Boston area,” Gift said.Long before viewers gaze and point at completed sculptures, Gift said sand sculptors familiarize themselves with the texture and consistency of the fresh sand dropped on the beach.Beginning early next week, sculptors will work together to create the festival’s centerpiece sculpture.This year’s festival takes place on the stretch of Revere Beach north of the Revere Beach Boulevard bandstand, according to the city of Revere website. With a fence erected along the seawalls to channel viewers past the sculptures, the festival turns the beach into a temporary art gallery.Each sculptor is given 10 tons of sand and assigned an 18-foot-by-18-foot exhibit area. Artists are allowed to use forms to mold their creations, but the molds and supports must be removed prior to exhibiting a sculpture.The festival’s Friday events include live music in the afternoon along with a salute to seniors and more live music performances along the beach through 10 p.m.Bands performing Friday through Sunday include Thinkin’ Big Band, World Premiere, Decades of Rock, Smokin’ Joe and the Henchmen, Houston Bernard Band, District 23, Overdrive, Toe Jam Puppet Band as well as the Revere Catholic Youth Choir and North Shore Acappella and a Rod Stewart cover band.Radio and television personality Billy Costa hosts the Saturday 6 p.m. awards ceremony with fireworks scheduled for 9 p.m. Saturday. Sunday’s amateur sculpting competition starts at 10 a.m. and runs through 2 p.m. The children’s amateur competition runs from noon to 2 p.m. with amateur awards presented at 3 p.m.Judging categories include degree of difficulty, originality and creativity and overall visual impact, according to the city website.