EDMONDS — Mike O’Day took a couple of steps away from the sand sculpture in front of him and held up his camera.
His son and four of his son’s friends sat around the giant lizard monster they spent the morning building at Marina Beach Park. They smiled and O’Day took their picture.
The group of teenagers began building the monster at the start of the annual Edmonds sand-sculpting contest Monday morning. Two hours later, “Jason Lizard Steamy” was ready for judging.
“We got here and did a general outline of a monster,” said O’Day, of Brier. “We piled up lots of sand and it became this, whatever-you-call-it.”
The monster’s body took an hour to build and the group spent their second hour adding details, said Rory O’Day, 15. The four-legged lizard had three toes on each foot, a long tail, a seashell speckled spine and seaweed dripping from its large nostrils.
Their hard work paid off when they won first place in the group sand-sculpting category.
Friends Leah Jarvick and Helen Varey, both 14, entered the contest for their second consecutive year. They missed the announcement that their sand sculpture of a bikini-clad sun bathing woman also was a winner. When they found out they received one of the first place Golden Bucket Awards — a bucket of taffy — they were excited.
“It hasn’t really sunk in much,” Leah said.
The friends from Seattle came up with the idea for their sculpture before they arrived at the beach. They entered the contest to try and win but also to have fun, Helen said.
Sixty groups entered three age-group categories for sand castles and sand sculptures, event coordinator Tammy Rankin said. The contest started at 10 a.m. and was a free event sponsored by Nama’s Candy Store.
Alaina Kube of Snohomish read a newspaper article about the contest Monday morning and hurried to the event so her two daughters could enter. Alexandra Kube, 10, said she had fun but has other plans for next year’s contest.
“Next time I want to sculpt,” she said. Her mother also had plans for next year.
“We’re going to get here early and we’re going to gather the good stuff off the beach,” she said. “And next time we’re going to build with wet sand.”
Edmonds Mayor Mike Cooper was one of three contest judges. Deciding on a winner in the family sand-sculpting category wasn’t easy, he said.
“I’m down to three and I have to pick one,” he said before judging was over. “This is the fun part of the (mayor) job, though.”
Lynnwood resident Steve Bartlow built a fruit basket sculpture with his daughter and four grandchildren. The sculpture won one of five Golden Bucket Awards.
“The competition was good this year,” he said. “We feel very privileged to win.”
Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.
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