Sharks, sea turtles all winners at sand castle contest

There are many strategies for building castles -- or other structures from race cars and turtles to sharks – in the sand.

But one professional tip: excavate your creation. That can mean starting with a compacted pile of moist sand and carving away like Mary Ely and her 8-year-old daughter Lauren, of Falls Church, Virginia, did to build a castle from sand.

Or you can take a cue from Chris Kuhn, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He dug down into existing sand to build a replica of Kyle Busch's NASCAR car, complete with a horseshoe crab talon to form the 1 in Busch's number: 18. Big rocks formed the headlamps. Small stones outlined the wheels.

"It was pretty much Jake's idea, he said of his 7-year-old son, who is a huge Kyle Busch fan.

These creations and dozens more were entered into the  Delaware Seashore State Park Sand Castle Contest. The event has been going on for 36-years and is a favorite with families. Every team that enters takes home a prize so park organizers say it tends to be more low-key than other summer sand castle contests.

And for families who want to learn some professional techniques, the park does sponsor a workshop where families can learn more about the art of sand castle and sand sculpting. The Elys came to the workshop on Tuesday and put some of the techniques to work with their creation on Saturday.

"First, we made a big pile of sand," Lauren Ely said. "I poured a bunch of water on it and packed it down. You can't have really wet sand. It can't be dry or really wet. You've gotta have moist sand."

Once their foundation was built, the mother-daughter team started carving away and creating the fine details that made their castle unique.

Team Corkle-Signor-Cobaugh, of Harrisburg, Pa., also used the mound system to create an elaborate castle complete with a moat. A blue, rolled up beach towel was the substitute for water.

STORY By the numbers, Delaware beaches are bustling

STORY Drive-on beach crowds always find a way

But castles weren't the only entries. Karin and Craig Beam and their daughters Rylee, 15 and Paige, 13, carved a family of sea turtles and Wayne Senft, of Millville, created a bigger than life-size shark complete with jagged shells for teeth and a gray rock for an eye. A team of boys created a sand American flag and the Henz family of Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, created three unique sculptures including a massive Kraken sea creature.

Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.