Sand Sculpture To Pay Tribute To 1st Lady Barbara Bush

CLEARWATER, FL -- In a memorial that is uniquely Clearwater, the city will pay tribute to the late Barbara Bush by creating a sculpture of the beloved first lady out of Clearwater sugar sand.

Sculptors taking part in the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival on Clearwater Beach have already begun to carve the sculpture. They plan to have it finished by Friday evening, April 20, for visitors to see during the final weekend of the festival.

Barbara Bush, wife of the 41st president of the United States and mother of the 43rd president, died April 17 at the age of 92.

"Barbara Bush is an American treasure, and what better way to honor her than at the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival where this year's theme is SEA America, A Celebration of America's Treasures?" asked Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos.

According to Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, this year's Sugar Sand Festival attracted record crowds and this weekend's finale is expected to draw the largest numbers yet.

To better accommodate visitors to Clearwater Beach and the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority will be adding additional buses and trolleys to its free Park & Ride route between Downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach.

Visitors can park at Clearwater City Hall and Harborview Center and ride the trolley or bus to and from the beach, all for free. Riders will be able to board every 15 minutes.

The Clearwater Ferry also will add an extra boat to its water routes between Downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach.

Additionally, on Saturday, the ferry will offer a "Ferry Fast Lane" where riders can reserve a seat on one of
the boats and skip the line for a ferry ride to the beach. There will not be a reserved ride back to downtown; riders will ride on a regular ferry route back. The rides are $8 round-trip and will launch at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. To reserve a seat, call (727) 755-0297 or visit the ferry website.

Visitors can also purchase a ticket to the festival online to enter through the " fast lane" and skip the line. For tickets and more information, visit the Sugar Sand Festival website.

The centerpiece of the 10-day festival is the Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit, a 21,000-square-foot tent featuring the sand sculptures of 11 world-class sculptors.

This will be the last weekend to view this year's works of art. Visitors can see the exhibit Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Live music performances this weekend will feature Chris McCarty on Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., Pirate Flag on Friday from 7 to 10 p.m., Bus Stop Band on Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m., Reverend Barry & The Funk Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m., Riley Biederer on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. and Storm Bringer on Sunday from 6:30 to 9:15 p.m.

Additionally, there will be movies on the beach each night at dusk. "Zootopia" will be show Friday, "Only the Brave" Saturday and "Apollo 13" Sunday. And the festival will host fireworks displays Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m.

Images via Visit St. Pete/Clearwater