Inaugural out-‘beach’

Mitch Guerrera, right, works on his sand sculpture “What Building Code?” as people walk by and watch during the Sand & Sun Festival at CitizensÕ Circle in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, May 16, 2026. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.

Things were just “beachy” in downtown Ocala on May 16 for the inaugural Sand & Sun Festival hosted by the city of Ocala at Citizens’ Circle.

The Ocala Cultural Arts outreach featured six nationally recognized artists creating large-scale works of art in sand underneath a long canopy of protective covering.

At the end of the day, Andy Daily, a master sculptor and sand manager of the Siesta Key Crystal Classic, which is known for education and community programs, according to city officials, took home the coveted first place prize as well as the fan favorite award.

The other participating artists were Amanda Bolduc, Mitch Guerrero, Josh Jakubowski, Bruce Peck and Mark Wilson.

The event included entertainment, food trucks and a sandbox play area for children.

“Thank you to everyone who joined us for the inaugural Sand & Sun Festival in downtown Ocala. We appreciate the community coming out to support this new event and the talented artists who participated in our sand sculpting competition. A special thank you to our judges from the Appleton Museum of Art, our event sponsors, vendors, performers, staff and volunteers who helped make the day possible,” the city noted on its Facebook Page.

The post stated that the winners were:

First place: Andy Daily, “Scorpion King,” $1,000 cash prize

Second place: Amanda Bolduc, “Kindred Spirits,” $600 cash prize

Fan favorite: Andy Daily, “Scorpion King,” $300 cash prize

For more information about this event and others, visit ocalafl.gov or contact [email protected] or (352) 629-8447.

Sand & Sun Festival

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