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SAND sculptor Peter Bignell, of Kempton, had been working on his rural scene for about 10 hours when The Examiner caught up with him at the Scottsdale Show yesterday.
Mr Kempton said that he put in about eight hours on Friday’s opening day and divided his time between moulding a block of bricklayer’s sand into a sow feeding its piglets and chatting to passers-by about his work.
‘‘The show society contacted me about nine months ago and asked if I’d do something agricultural — I reckon hay and pigs is pretty agricultural,’’ he said.
Mr Kempton said that normal beach sand is only bound by the water in it and once it dried, any sculpture would simply fall apart.
Show society president Noelene Lette said that yesterday’s attendance figures were more what was expected after lower Friday figures than usual.
‘‘It’s lovely to see so many people in the showgrounds,’’ she said, looking around.
‘‘I think the cattle and yard dog trials were a great drawcard today — Scottsdale is a real traditional country show where the kids come with mum and dad and can bring their own cow, horses or whatever without all the fanfare of the big shows.
‘‘Kids come along to see what mum has entered in the cake competition and the kids are cattle handlers, so nan and pop, aunts and uncles come along to see how they do and that’s just lovely.
‘‘That’s what we depend on.’’
Among those to put in her annual appearance at the show was Scottsdale’s Holly James.
The 15-year-old claimed her fifth Miss Teenager award since first entering Miss Scottsdale Show competitions as a 9-year-old.
‘‘I didn’t win last year, but won four years in a row before that,’’ a delighted Ms James said.
‘‘I love dressing up and I’ll keep entering the competition until I’m not allowed to anymore.’’
Garry Fitzpatrick, of Packenham, in Victoria, has been around chopping and sawing for about 35 years and came to Scottsdale with a team of chainsaw racers.
Mr Fitzpatrick said that while he enjoyed the chainsaw competitions between stock machines, he had particular fondness for the hotted-up racing saws that were demonstrated between chopping and sawing events.
‘‘A stock saw can get through a block in about 15 seconds — the hotted-up saws take about 10 and the noise has to be heard to be believed,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s pretty dramatic when you see the difference when the two types of saws run together.’’
