The Lexington Barbecue Festival sand sculpture makes a mammoth return

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There are numerous ways to entertain your entire family while attending The Lexington Barbecue Festival. From countless Artisans displaying their unique wares to headlining stage performances and of course the main lure, the legendary Lexington barbecue. One of my favorite attractions at The Lexington Barbecue Festival for over the past twenty years has been the custom sand sculpture which is always created on the lawn of the historic former Post Office at the corner of South Main Street and West Third Avenue.

This mammoth creation is a fun place to visit and offers lots of great photo opportunities for all ages. It is exciting to see this temporary monument in homage to the Lexington Barbecue Festival take shape. “The entire process usually takes about nine days,” explained Sculpture and Artist Dan Belcher. 

Every year there is a theme that inspires the large sand sculpture. This year’s inspiration is America’s favorite pastime, baseball. The sculpture has over ten carved whimsical bust of pigs depicting various players of the sport and the piece is entitled “Hometown Hawgz”. Belcher, who resides in St. Louis, M.I. travels the globe sculpting large original works of art from sand. “This work keeps me busy” stated Belcher who has worked in this field for thirty years. Belcher also shared that after he completes this sculpture he is heading back to his home in St. Louis for a week then he is off to the Middle East to take part in the creation of World Record scale sand sculpture. The company responsible for providing the talented sculptors that create the works of art at each festival is Sandscapes of California. 

Belcher explained how his job can be a little bittersweet, as these phenomenal works only last at most a few weeks. The sculpture is due to be completed on Friday, October 21, 2022 in time for opening of The 38th Annual Lexington Barbecue Festival.