Forget sandcastles at the beach. This summer, Peddler’s Village invites guests to explore a Safari in Sand. Witness an impressive display of sand sculptures placed throughout the village depicting scenes from Africa’s Serengeti with life-like realism. The display is open to the public and will be on exhibit through Aug. 31.
According to Peddler’s Village website, work on the sculptures began in mid-May through the efforts of internationally recognized sand sculptors from Sand Sculptures by John Gowdy and Team Santastic. The sand artists have shaped tons of sand into spectacular sand creations.
Dean Arscott, Brian Turnbough, and Steve Schomaker are the artisans behind Team Sandtastic, based in Sarasota, Florida. The team creates between 50 and 60 sculptures per year. Team Sandtastic has won first place at the American Sand Sculpting Festival, the Myrtle Beach Open, and the Southeast U.S. Championships. Arscott, Turnbough, and Schomaker also hold the Guinness World Record for the tallest sandcastle ever constructed by hand (28 feet, 7 1/4 inches).
Master sand sculptor John Gowdy, a retired firefighter from the Atlantic City Fire Department, has been working with sand professionally for more than three decades. He and his wife Laura have won many national, international, and world-class first-place awards in practically every master sand sculpture competition on the planet. Gowdy has created sand art for Pope Francis at the Vatican, the White House Commission on Remembrance, the Travel Channel, and more.
Visit Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Bucks County, this summer to discover these sand creations.
