Sand Bears to build castles Feb. 1

Look for the Sand Bears on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as they shape and sculpt lines in the sand just south of Rehoboth Avenue. Andy West, Darrell O’Connor, Marc Schaffer and Heather Williams plan to return to carve castles, bears and more from a giant pile of sand on the beach and hope to create a great backdrop for memorable Polar Plunge photos.

The Sand Bears hope the sculpture holds up well for the big day – Sunday – when thousands of bears arrive at the beach.

“Seeing so many people, bear families and bear teams, get photos in front of last year’s sculpture on Sunday meant a lot to me,” said West. “It’s great to add a fun touch to such a wonderful event.”

Heather Williams is also a veteran of the Rehoboth Beach Contest. She and her mother, Lynn, have won several times in the event.

Back for another year for the Plunge sand carving is Marc Shaffer, of Swedesboro. New Jersey. He met West and O’Connor at the Wildwood Crest event and enthusiastically joined the Sand Bears last year.

“Ideally, we’ll have sunshine and it’ll be warm enough to carve something cool.”