Something came out of the deep Friday afternoon at Lakeshore Beach. Lucia Do created a jaw-dropping shark’s head rising out of the beach for Camp Lakeshore’s weekly sandcastle-building contest.
Patrons of the beach excitedly came over to look at the sand sculpture, taking pictures and posing next to it. Maria Planchett of South Lyon tried to shoo children away from the shark, trying to preserve it for other beach-goers to see.
“I thought the shark was very beautiful, like a piece of art,” said 40-year-old Planchett. “The little girl worked so hard, I wanted to let everyone else see it too.”
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Do was pleased with her work and the reaction it garnered.
“A lot of kids have been enjoying the sight of it, so that made me happy,” said Do. “It was made for a sandcastle contest that I am planning on forfeiting, because it’s mainly for little kids to see.”
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The 13-year-old said that she plans to make elaborate pieces like the shark every week. Though she has no artistic training, she said she has found that she has a natural talent for making whatever she puts her mind to. She said she spent about two hours sculpting the shark.
“I really just wanted to see that little kids would be happy looking at it, because you know there are no sharks in Michigan, so now they can see one that’s kind of lifelike,” said Do.
The counselors at Camp Lakeshore were also very impressed with Do’s creation.
“Lucia’s shark is amazing,” said Lisa Morgan, the head camp counselor. “She surprises us every time, even though it’s not a surprise, because she’s just so creative and the stuff she comes up with is amazing. She just does a really good job.”
The sandcastle contest is a tradition nearly as old as Camp Lakeshore, and is one Morgan said will be continued.
“The kids really love doing the sandcastle contest, they love using their creativity, and we leave it open to however they want to do it—castle or no castle—as long as they enjoy it,” said Morgan.
Do is happy with that arrangement, and hopes that as more kids join the Camp, they will get the opportunity to try new things.
“I think that if kids put their minds to something, then they should really try it out because they never know what they can make,” said Do. “Even if they think it’s going to be bad, they should try it because you never really know.”
