Diggin’ the beach at Bellport’s annual sandcastle event

Masses of people, tools in hand, swarmed around the Bellport Marina ticket booth Saturday waiting to dig into the sand for a Labor Day weekend tradition. By 10 a.m., parents and children lined up to secure a spot on a ferry overflowing with passengers. With only 47 seats available, it swiftly shuttled across the Great South Bay.

Though summer was still very much in the air, The Bellport Village Program Fund hosted its 16th annual Sandcastle Contest at Ho-Hum Beach to wrap up the end of the summer season.

Jane Graham, lead organizer, and Cynthia Watson, a board member, prepared the space for more than 300 residents of all different ages.

“And it’s great because you have teenage kids who are having just as much fun as the little ones,” said Watson. “I think sometimes the adults are having the most fun out of everyone.”

The contest categories were separated into three age groups starting from 0-to-8-year-old, 9-to-16-year-old, and over 17 years old. A panel of five judges—Phillip Thomas, Alan Penney, Deb Penney, Nathan Rohrmeier, and Colleen Kossoff—were tasked with reviewing. Each age group had up to three winners and was scored based on originality, artistic representation, and difficulty of construction.

Some contestants spent up to three hours or more handcrafting sand sculptures using only items they found along the beach. Residents like Elisa Lipsky and her family use natural materials such as seaweed, seashells, and driftwood to bring their creations to life.

“This is our third year bringing our family here and this is the highlight of their summer,” said Lipsky. “They’ve been working hard all morning.”

After a day spent building under the hot sun, the winners were announced as follows:

In the child 0-to-8 category, the first-place winner was Castle No. 18 named “Cakie”; in second place was Castle No. 4 named “Seaweed Monster”; and last but not least in third place, Castle No. 1 named “Tutan Ho-Hum.”

In the teen 9-to-16 category, the first-place winner was Castle No. 38 named “Sand Buggy”; in second place was Castle No. 25 named “Shark Eating Man”; and in third place Castle No. 26 named “Cafe Cool Beach.”

In the final adult category for over 17, the first-place winner was Castle No. 53 named “Unidentified Flying Octopus” or “U.F.O.” for short; in second place was Castle No. 41 named “Cybertruck”; and in third place was Castle No. 42 named “Turtle.”

All nine winners received gift certificates from Bellport Village mayor Maureen Veitch to Carla Marlas Ice Cream Parlor and Candy Shoppe.

“It’s such a special place for the kids to come and enjoy their summers,” said Thomas. “It’s amazing to me. Every year seeing how many people come and to have their support for the Bellport Program Fund is a phenomenal experience.”

The Bellport Village Program Fund members spoke about their goal to connect families at this year’s Sandcastle contest and plan to continue the tradition for future years to come.

Adriana Tardugno is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.