June 20, 2023 Charlestown, RI – South County Tourism Council’s Atlantis RIsing International Sand Sculpture Competition will return to Misquamicut Beach in Westerly this Columbus Day Weekend (October 6-9). Currently, teaser sculptures for the event this fall are being installed at Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce in Westerly and George’s of Galilee in Narragansett. The first teaser sculpture for this year’s event is now available to view outside the Sandy Shore Motel in Westerly and was created by Abe Waterman and Greg Grady, Jr.. Since Gene Argonese, the owner of the Sandy Shore Motel, has a son in the military and one of the artists, Greg Grady, Jr. is also ex-military, they wanted to honor our soldiers as well as offer a taste of what you might see at Atlantis RIsing in October.
We invite you to come see what they will create at the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce and at George’s of Galilee and to speak with the sculptors. They are happy to discuss their work and their process. The best days and times to come are Wednesday afternoon (June 21st) or Thursday morning (June 22nd).
Last year’s competition was a huge success with 20K people attending the four-day event that featured 10 internationally renowned artists competing for a cash prize. Stunning sand sculptures towered over Misquamicut Beach as the public came to watch the artists work as well as cast their votes for the People’s Choice award. Live music, food trucks, vendors, sand sculpting lessons, amusements for the kids and a spectacular drone light show rounded out the inaugural event.
This year Atlantis RIsing promises to be even bigger. “We were very pleased with the turnout last year and received so many positive comments. People are already asking about this year’s event and are planning to come and stay for a few days to see the sand sculptures from start to finish, and of course, to vote for their favorite.” says Louise Bishop, South County Tourism Council President.
The South County Tourism Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the towns of Charlestown, Coventry, East Greenwich, Exeter, Hopkinton, Narragansett, North Kingstown, Richmond, South Kingstown, West Greenwich and Westerly as a single leisure travel destination known as “South County”. For more information, please visit southcountyri.com.
