Just like the rest of the New Jersey Shore, Sandy Castle 2013 is open for business. And, just like New Jersey and everyone who lives here, we are stronger than a Superstorm. We are here to help. One hundred percent of the money we raise will be donated to Hometown Heroes for distribution to those still in need of relief from Hurricane Sandy. See you on the beach!
Update: June 11, 2013
Over the past two weeks, Sandy Castle has faced more than its fair share of challenges. Following the initial spire collapse on May 28th, the weather began to wreak havoc. Ed Jarrett is now rebuilding the sandcastle spire for the fourth time, making adjustments to deal with the coarseness of the sand. Don’t worry, though, he’s not giving up. He is bound and determined to break his world record on the New Jersey Shore. We’ve added a Sandy Castle 2013 slide show/photo album to the website. Thanks to everyone who has shared photos with us – we can’t possibly include them all but will keep adding as we can.
Update: June 3, 2013
Many of you may have noticed that Sandy Castle’s original spire is missing. On Tuesday, May 28th, as we awaited President Obama’s visit to Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, a bulldozer was moving sand on the beach and creating a significant vibration. We’ve always feared thunder, as it shakes the ground. Well, the bulldozer was no different than thunder last week and the top 7 or so feet of Sandy Castle collapsed. Thankfully, we remain comfortably several feet above the current world record height. And, last night, the sculpted portion of the sandcastle experienced its first series of serious thunderstorms with high winds and driving rain and passed with flying colors! We are well on our way to the record book … again!!
Update: May 25, 2013
Happy Memorial Day Weekend 2013! Thanks to the incredible help of more than 4,000 volunteers, sand has been packed to a height of more than 50 feet! Ed Jarrett has begin sculpting Sandy Castle and hopes to be finished in 30 days. Visitors are welcome. Please click here for more information.
Update: May 10, 2013
At this point, we’re calculating that we have packed over 60 percent of the 1.6 million pounds of sand that will make up the castle. More than 1,600 volunteers have assisted us, with about 1,000 of them being school children – Thank You, Everyone!! Right now, our greatest need for volunteers is daily from 5-9 p.m. and adults are preferred.
We are currently packing level 7 – when it’s complete, we will be 14 feet up. Our goal for the weekend is to pack levels 8 and 9, achieving 18 feet by the end of the day Sunday. The higher we go, the less sand we need per level and the faster the process moves – the final 20 feet of sand packing should take only a few days. Our goal is to begin removing forms and sculpting by Memorial Day (weather and volunteer permitting, of course).
Here’s our time lapse video through the afternoon of May 7, 2013 – stay tuned …
Update: May 1, 2013
We’ve got our camera in place and have started creating our time lapse video – here’s the first version, with some photos from before the special camera was installed and then pictures taken every 15 minutes through Sunday afternoon, April 28, 2013. Stay tuned …
Update: April 22, 2013
Last week at Sandy Castle was incredible! With the help of more than 200 volunteers, we completed the first level and added and filled the forms for the second level. We’re officially four feet up, well on our way to 50! Special thanks to Antrim School, Bradley Beach Elementary School, Girl Scout Troop 181, Lanes Mills School, and dozens of individuals and family members! This week, we welcome Ocean Road School, the Brick Girl Scout Troop, Lanes Mills School, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, and dozens more individuals and families.
