Sugar Sand Organizer's Passion is Events

Lisa Chandler has a passion for events.

Sure, she runs the concessions at Pier 60. But for nearly 20 years she has helped work to put together the Sunsets at Pier 60 Festival. For a time she also organized the defunct Beach Fest.

Chandler combines and expands on elements from these events, creating what she calls her “bucket list" event, the Sugar Sand Festival, which after 10 days, ends Sunday at Clearwater Beach just south of Pier 60.

“It’s been a dream,” Chandler said. “It’s really been a dream.”

Just a couple weeks after developing the concept for the nearly $160,000 event, Clearwater’s white, sandy beach was crowned best in the state as voted on by USA Today readers.

So, the display’s theme plays off of the USA Today ranking of Clearwater Beach as the Best Beach Town in Florida as well as the history of the area as a tourist draw.

More than 15,000 people have visited the Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit, where 1,000 tons of Clearwater Beach sand are carved into displays of Old Man Winter, marine life and Pier 60 under a 12,000-square-foot tent.

It took nine sculptors eight days to build the serpentine walk through display made from thousands of tons of Clearwater’s sand, Chandler said.

The sand sculptures are held together with a 25 percent mixture of Elmers Glue and water. Daily, sculptors spend a couple hours fixing parts of the display that fall apart because of the heat.

The event also features five master sculptors competing for a $5,000 grand prize in the Frenchy's Master Sand Sculpting competition. The five sculptors will be voted on by beach goers.

The major goal of branding Clearwater’s white, sandy beach is a success, Chandler said. Already, she is talking about improvements for the event next year and different ideas for the walk through display.

The sandy sculptures are not permanent. Within days the beach's familiar flat, footprint-adled surface will return.

“Everything goes back to it’s original home,” Chandler said.

Sunday, April 28

• Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Camp Hyatt Sand Box, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Frenchy’s Master Sand Sculptures on display, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sugar Sand Sculpting Clinics, 11 a.m.
• Speed Sand Demonstrations, Pier 60 Pavilion, 4 p.m.
• Sugar Sand Sculpting Clinics, 7 p.m.
• Sunset Cinema at Pier 60, Free movie TBA
• Sunsets at Pier 60 Daily Festival, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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