Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting Classic celebrates 25 years of artistry

HAMPTON — What started ever so modestly in June 2000 with a single sculpture of a commemorative coin will celebrate its 25th anniversary this Friday when an elite international field of sculptors take to the sand for the Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic.

“I never thought from Day 1 that we would be doing it for 25 years,” said Greg Grady, the founder and longtime organizer of the summer staple in Hampton that culminates with an awards ceremony and special fireworks display on Saturday, June 14.

Grady will be the first to tell you that if he had his way back in the late 1990s, this might very well be the 27th or 28th rendition of the event, which has grown to become one of the preeminent sand sculpting competitions in the country. Back in those days, Grady was a regular on the national sand sculpting tournament circuit, setting up shop on pristine beaches in Siesta Key, Virginia Beach, and out to the West Coast and up into Canada.

“But there was nothing like that here in New England,” Grady explained.

Eager to launch a competition in his own backyard, Grady brought a detailed proposal to the Hampton Chamber of Commerce and the Hampton Beach Village District twice in the late 1990s but said he was rebuffed each time.

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A freshly minted idea comes to Hampton Beach

After having sand kicked on his idea by the chamber, Grady had all but let the idea go.

Then, the U.S. Mint came calling in 2000. A new state quarter had been minted featuring the iconic Old Man of the Mountain as part of the 50 State Quarters program. The Mint wanted to know if Grady could fashion a replica of the coin out of sand for the annual Hampton Beach Children’s Week Festival.

Grady was quick to accept the challenge, and that June, nestled next to an amateur sand castle competition during the Children’s Week Festival. Grady’s rendition of the new quarter was a show-stopper. Perhaps no one was more enthralled than Hampton’s Bob Houle, who served as the marketing director for the chamber and the Hampton Beach Village District.

“Bob Houle came running up to me and said, ‘You and me, have to talk,’” Grady recalled. “I told him, “I know, we have talked.’”

Houle remembers it slightly differently and insists Grady must have talked to another chamber member, but he also does not want to stand in the way of a good story.

“It’s like the movie, ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,’” said Houle, now in his 80s and living in Durham, summoning the classic John Wayne western which revolves around a case of mistaken identity.

“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” he added with a laugh at one of the famous lines from the movie.

Suffice it to say, regardless of where the truth lies, launching a brand new, sand sculpting event in New England with the best sculptors in the world was no small undertaking.

For starters, Houle was looking at allocating over $40,000, or roughly one-third of his marketing budget, to a brand-new endeavor.

“I was putting myself on the line, but it felt like a no-brainer,” said Houle. “I knew the commissioners would approve it, and everyone got behind it. They increased the budget, and it was quite a success right from the get-go.”

“Bob Houle was the main reason this really took off,” Grady added. “Me and him really pounded the pavement putting this thing together that first year. Bob was instrumental in getting it off the ground.”

A quarter century later, some of those first local sponsors that Houle and Grady hotly pursued, like Preston Real Estate and Blink’s Fry Doe, are still featured prominently on the 100-ton sponsor site that kicks off the event. The theme for this year’s sponsor site is “Sand Safari” and will be created by the field of competitors starting Friday, June 6, through Monday, June 10.

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Sculptors rave about the sand, hospitality – and the crowd

Sculptor Justin Gordon of Groveland, Massachusetts, has competed in all but one of the prior 24 Sand Sculpting Classics, taking top honors in 2010. His only absence came a year later when he was commissioned to carve up a sand replica of the Stanley Cup in Government Center for the newly minted champion Boston Bruins.

A talented sculptor who has competed in a multitude of events across the globe, Gordon says Hampton stands out for its special sand and the red carpet it lays out along Ocean Boulevard for the sculptors.

“It’s a really good, silty sand that sticks really well,”  Gordon explained of the 200 tons of sand imported from Brox Industries in Hudson each summer. “You can do a lot of cut-throughs and tricks with it. It’s really good sand.”

Gordon is also quick to add that having the event run by fellow sculptors like Grady Sr. and his son Greg Jr. is another key ingredient.

“Some people on the business end forget what makes a good contest and what makes it good for sculptors,” Gordon pointed out. “Greg remembers that. He’s done it, he knows it. He knows what makes a good event and how to take care of the sculptors and make it so they will want to come back.”

Accommodations, meals, and overflowing gift bags are all part of the allure of the world-class field, affectionately called “Grady’s Bunch.” The top-tier prize money, and of course a very scenic and friendly working environment also help.

A multiple winner and always a crowd favorite, Quebec’s Mel Beauregard is looking forward to checking into Pelham Resort on Hampton Beach for another busy week in front of one of the most discerning crowds she has encountered.

“The Gradys know what we need to perform at our best, so they make sure that we are well treated in all those ways,” said Beauregard, who captured back-to-back titles here in 2022 and 2023 before finishing third to fellow Canadian David Ducharme last year. Perhaps more treasured by the talented sculptor was the People’s Choice Award she was awarded in 2023 for her sculpture, “Love is a Universal Temple,” which soulfully depicted a mother and child embracing in the shape of a cathedral.

“There are some contests where the crowd is newer, and they don’t know sand sculpting as much, and they’re looking for the typical castle, mermaid, or turtle,” Beauregard noted. “I feel like in Hampton, you can see it in the reflection of the People’s Choice Award. They are more artistic in their choice. They have a better eye, and they are looking for more artistic sculptures, and that’s really nice for us as artists.”

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Powerful lineup of sculptors coming to Hampton Beach in 2025

Once again, Grady is set to welcome a powerhouse lineup of sculptors to what he calls “a museum down on the beach” this weekend.

Among the returning stars are Beauregard, Gordon, and Ducharme, while Moscow’s Ilya Filimonstev is making his much-anticipated debut, adding even more firepower to the competition. He joins fellow Russian sculptor Dimitry Klimenko, last year’s runner-up, as well as multiple-time champions Karen Fralich of Canada and Ohio’s Carl Jara. Also back is Latvian artist Karlis Ile, who made an impressive Hampton debut last year with a fourth-place finish. Rounding out this prolific field are Prince Edward Island’s Abe Waterman, Florida’s Andrew Daily, and Grady’s son, Greg Jr., from Derry.

“I would say that the level of the sculptors that are coming (in recent years) is way higher,” said Beauregard. “It drives me, and it pushes me to do better. I can really say that with the level of sculptors, you can see sculptures that are the best in the world.”

All the sculptors will spend Friday, June 6, through Monday, June 9, pounding and shaping 100 tons of sand into the sponsor site, culminating with a Grand Finale with a Master Group Carve on Tuesday, June 10. The individual contest starts in earnest the following day as each sculptor transforms 10 tons of sand into their own unique and moving sand expression. Gordon says it’s a demanding pursuit, requiring equal parts artistry and physical dexterity.

“You have to go from shoveling 10 tons of sand and beating the crap out of yourself to being a fine, delicate artiste,” Gordon mused. “The hardest day is the pound up. You have to take your sand and pound it up as high as you want to go. I think I’m going to go 10 or 11 feet this year.”

The Sand Sculpting Classic comes to a crescendo on Saturday, June 14, with the voting of the People’s Choice Award (1 to 3 p.m.), followed by the awards ceremony (7:30 p.m.) where $25,000 in prize money will be handed out, including the $6,000 winner’s check. A fireworks display (9:30 p.m.) rounds out the action-packed day, and the sculptures stay up and illuminated at night till June 23, when Grady and his crew reluctantly turn the medium back to its former self.

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A contest that has stood the test of time

Grady can’t single out one specific event that stands out above the others over the last 24 years, but points to the solitary and weighty message that the sculpture of the Statue of Liberty conveyed in the wake of 9/11 as one he will never forget. Another would surely be the summer of 2020.

During a time when restaurants and bars stood empty, festivals, fireworks, and concerts faded into silence, an enduring tradition returned to Hampton during the COVID-19 pandemic. By late August, 200 tons of imported sand were once again poured beside the bandstand, and soon after, 11 breathtaking sculptures stood alone, transforming the beach into a gallery of artistry.

“That was the only sand sculpture event in the world that year,” Grady said proudly. “There were a couple of exhibitions, but that was the only competition.”

Ultimately, Grady says in the end that it’s the reaction, from the wide-eyed first timers to the most seasoned visitors, to his sand-swept museum that means the most.

“Nobody knows who I am, and I’m sitting there on the boardwalk watching people come up and react,” he confided. “It’s always the reactions from the youngest and the oldest that blow me away, and that’s who we sculpt for. When I see them smiling the most, that’s what really makes me happy.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting Classic celebrates 25 years of artistry: