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Mill Creek Park’s Sunfest draws on creativity, fun
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
Photo
Serena Kennedy, 15, of Austintown took third place with this “Romeo and Juliet” sculpture at Sunday’s Sunfest sculpting competition. Her sister Paisley Kennedy, 21, took second place with a mermaid sculpture.
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
Photo
Anthony Stiles and Shane Vantell, both 13, of Austintown, show off their first-place sand sculpture “Mr. Octopus” in the children’s sculpting competition at Mill Creek Park’s Sunfest. The boys each received a Handel’s gift card for their efforts during the daylong event at the James L. Wick Recreation Area in the Youngstown park.
YOUNGSTOWN
The main walkway at the Wick Recreation Area in Mill Creek Park was lined with a mermaid, a giant ice cream cone, a dune buggy and Buddha — or at least sand replicas of each of them.
The Sunday sand-sculpting event was part of the 16th annual Mill Creek MetroParks Sunfest. Participants spent the entire day doing various activities and listening to music in the park.
Carolyn Pofok, director of recreation and events, said there were 28 entries in the sculpting contest this year.
“It’s just a great summertime family friendly event, and people love it. We love doing this for the community,” she said.
Adult winners in the sculpting contest received $100, $75, and $50 respectively for first-, second- and third-place entries. Kids received a Handel’s Ice Cream gift card.
For some, like members of the Wednesday Walkers, a group that regular enjoys recreation in the park, the sculpting contest has become an annual tradition and a friendly competition among group members. The group laid claim to two mounds of sand near the end of the line of sculptors and created two pieces of work — a dune buggy and the “Mill Creek Farm.”
Lisa Esarco, along with her son Jacob Esarco and several other group members, worked on the buggy. She said the group never misses the event. The sculpture she helped create last year won second place.
“We enjoy coming down. It’s always great to come out and do this,” she said. “We make it a whole day. We bring chairs and picnic, everyone brings something. The group is so big that someone always comes out.”
Fellow Wednesday Walkers Ida Krcelic, Brenda Metz and Linda Miller spent time creating the farm replica.
“We just started with the tower and decided to go with the farm,” said Miller. We don’t know what we are going to do when we come here. We just go with it.”
The farm landed the ladies a first place prize Sunday afternoon and bragging rights in the friendly competition with their friends.
Serena Kennedy, 15, and her sister Paisley Kennedy, 21, both of Austintown, have turned the sculpting competition into a 10-year family affair and sibling competition.
Serena, who took first place at last year’s competition with a “Lady of the Lake” sculpture, created a Romeo and Juliet sculpture for this year’s competition. She said she wanted to stick to a literature theme.
Paisley Kennedy created a detailed mermaid and as touching up the creation right up until the judges called time and made her lay down her sculpting tools.
Both Kennedy sisters say the rivalry will continue next year, but they are both happy now with Serena taking third place in the competition and Paisley taking second place.
For some like Lori Gibbons, 31, formerly of Youngstown, now living in Baltimore, the competition is a time for family and reliving childhood memories. She came home to visit her parents and decided to participate in the event like she did for many years as a child.
Gibbons spent four hours creating a tribute to the Cleveland Indians — a replica of the face that identifies the team. She said it takes a lot of work to create the sculptures, but it is worth the effort.
“It’s harder work than it seems. It’s actually exhausting,” she said with a smile.
Pofok said the sculptures are taken down and the sand returned to the park’s maintenance garage to be used for park projects after the competition.