Sandcastle Countdown: Fenway Comes to Revere Beach ; Sculptors to Build Replica of Park

Master sculptors at the upcoming Revere Beach National Sandsculpting Festival are preparing to hit a home run with what could be their most popular centerpiece sculpture ever.

Meredith Corson of Sanding Ovations told the Journal that the centerpiece sculpture at this year’s festival would be a gigantic version of Fenway Park, in honor of the facility’s 100^th birthday this year.

“It will be a tribute to Fenway Park and a nod to the 100^th Anniversary,” said Corson, who grew up in New Bedford but now lives in Florida. “I knew it was the 100^th Anniversary and it’s been in the back of my head. We’ve been tossing around some ideas and thinking about it. The Partnership is thrilled with it and it’s sure to be a crowd favorite.”

Carol Haney of the Revere Beach Partnership, which puts on the Festival, said they couldn’t have imagined a better subject than Fenway.

“The RBP board thought that it was absolutely brilliant for us to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park in our centerpiece sculpture at the Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival,” she said. “How appropriate that ‘America’s First Public Beach’ should recognize ‘America’s Oldest Ball Park.’ One Massachusetts icon saluting another. How cool is that?”

The sand version of Fenway Park will be the centerpiece of the upcoming Festival, which begins officially on July 12^th and finishes up on July 17^th. However, sand is due to arrive on the Beach this coming Friday, July 6^th, and work on the Fenway Tribute should start this coming weekend.

The Festival will celebrate its 9^th year in existence, seeing an all-time high crowd at last year’s Festival where more than 500,000 people flocked to Revere Beach over the five-day period.

While work on the centerpiece will begin in only a few days, the actual Master Sand Sculpting Competition will begin on Thursday, July 12^th, at 8 a.m.

It will conclude on Saturday, with judging and voting to take place at 3:30 p.m.

Opening ceremonies will be held on Thursday night at 7 p.m., with a Movie Night on the Beach taking place afterward – around 8:30 p.m.

A fireworks show on the Beach is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, and there will be sand sculpting lessons for kids all through the week at various times.

Corson said that all of the Sand Sculptors from last year’s competition would be returning, except for one sculptor who came from Italy. Justin Gordon of Groveland, MA, will replace her. He competed a few years ago, but has not been back to Revere Beach since.

“We have pretty much the same field of competitors and it’s a good field,” said Corson. “You don’t want to mess much with that. The crowd is great at remembering the sculptors from year to year. The sculptors have groupies. The crowd can get very upset if their sculptor isn’t there.”

For now, though, Corson is busy plotting the plans for the colossal Fenway Park made of sand.

“We won’t be able to color the sand green, but I can guarantee everyone in the crowd will be able to spot the Green Monster,” she said.