GULF SHORES – White sand beaches take on a whole new meaning as the winter storm brought several inches of snow to the Alabama coast, giving Sand Castle University’s Janel Hawkins a new …
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GULF SHORES – White sand beaches take on a whole new meaning as January's winter storm brought several inches of snow to the Alabama Gulf Coast, giving Sand Castle University’s Janel Hawkins a new medium to work with.
Hawkins, owner of and sculptor for Sand Castle University (SCU), visited the beach to create a snowy sandcastle with a mini snowman, too. She said it was “a great experience” and lots of fun. This was Hawkins' first time sculpting with snow.
“I’ve lived here my whole life and love sand sculpting,” Hawkins said. “I knew this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so I had to go try! I rescheduled a day of meetings just to be out there.”
According to Hawkins, the snow was “definitely more stable than sand,” but it was difficult to sculpt any fine details. Snow essentially falls apart after it has been touched unless it is packed in tightly. Other than that, most of the tools and methods used by Hawkins were the same for sand and snow.
Hawkins said videos of the progress will be featured on SCU's TikTok and Instagram Reels for those who want to watch the process unfold.