If you happened to walk along the beach between the Sandcastle and the Sanctuary during the middle of September , you may have noticed some new construction underway . Building centered on a Kiawah Island sign complete with palm leaves , a loggerhead turtle and a heron . Along side the sign was a 12-foot long figure of a giant holding a ball and in between the two was a towering castle . No building permits needed .
The structures were made only of sand and water , materials gathered straight from the beach . The solo architect and builder was Todd Pangborn from the tiny ( population about 1,350 ) town of Kiantone near Jamestown , New York . Todd is a nationally recognized master sand sculptor who has won multiple competitions . For him , sand sculpting is currently just a fairly serious hobby that began very slowly and simply on a family vacation in Virginia .
Almost 20 years ago Todd , his wife Lori , and two young daughters were enjoying a vacation gathering with members of Lori ’ s family in Virginia Beach , Virginia . Reluctant to just sit on the beach , Todd decided to make something his daughters would enjoy . By the end of the day he had formed what he described as a “ not bad ” dolphin , but was sure he could do better .
The next day he created a turtle , after that a shark , then an octopus . By the end of the week he completed a 15- foot long lobster . And so it began . He kept at it during the following years using kitchen utensils , particularly in Siesta Key , Florida , where the family often vacationed , because the sand was particularly conducive to sculpturing . Lori probably realized it was getting serious when she noticed 10 tons of sand in their six-acre yard . There is also a small sandbox in the house . All this is for practice .
By 2011 practice had readied him for competition . In September of that year he entered his first competition in
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