Second Try Coming For Sandy Castle World Record

Ed Jarrett is confident the second time will be the charm.

The sculptor who inspired 5,000 volunteers to help build a giant sand castle with the intent to break his own world's record is planning Take 2. And he means it.

"We're working on a brand new, whole concept from the ground up," said Jarrett, who missed beating his own sand castle world's record by four feet.


The world's record was broken with a sand castle Jarrett constructed in Connecticut. He had firmly believed the sand castle on Jenkinson's beach in Point Pleasant Beach would beat it.

But he didn't count on how the vibrations that the constant driving of the wood pilings for the foundation of the boardwalk would cause stress fractures in his work of art.

"There are too many stress cracks in this thing," Jarrett said on Monday night. "They were driving pilings 30 feet away. I didn't realize how that would create cracks down the center. Lesson learned."

On June 21, there was a second small spire collapse, which meant a collapse of a top piece of the castle, according to the Sandy Castle website.

"Unfortunately, this latest crumble rendered our structure too short to break the current Guinness World Record of 37 feet, 10 inches set by Ed Jarrett two years ago," the website says.

But, in an interview Monday night, Jarrett said he is already planning "a second attempt."

"Now we're planning for a new sand castle, using the sand from the one I just finished," he said. And he'll need another 5,000 volunteers, starting just after Labor Day with the goal of completing the second castle by Oct. 29, one year since Sandy careened wildly into the Jersey Shore.

Jarrett will the finishing touches on the castle on Tuesday.

The side facing the boardwalk depicts a Grimm fairy tale, complete with a two-headed dragon, one head fire-breathing, of course, Rapunzel in a tower and a prince fixing to rescue her.

The other side of the sandcastle is an ode to the Jersey Shore, with the other side of Rapunzel's tower becoming the Barnegat Lighthouse.

Jarrett carried out his mission to raise money through admission fees for Hometown Heroes, which has pledged to use the funds to help those impacted by Superstorm Sandy.

Hometown Heroes officials have said they have been donating thousands to Sandy victims in the greater Point area and all over the Jersey Shore and will continue to do so.

Jarrett said, "We've raised thousands for Hometown Heroes. We just haven't counted it yet."

For the last couple of weeks, he has been charging visitors $1 each. On Wednesday, when the castle is finished, the entry fee goes to $2 for senior citizens and children and $3 for adults. All proceeds continue to go to Hometown Heroes.

Jarrett is going to carve a boardwalk around the rear two-thirds of the "Jersey Shore" side of the Sandy Castle as visitors tour the mammoth creation.

Jarrett is hoping to have a grand opening on July 16 or 17. He is postponing setting a definite date since he is hoping Gov. Christie will send word that he can attend on one of those dates.

What will happen to all that sand after the second castle is demolished sometime this fall? Jarrett is thinking of selling "Sandy bags" of it to raise money for charity.

To read the first Patch story about Jarrett's castle and see photos of the earliest phase, click here. For more information and photos about the castle, see the Sandy Castle Foundation Facebook page or the website.

Those who have been impacted by Sandy and need financial help, please see the Hometown Heroes website about how to apply for funds.

- by Denise Di Stephan