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| Photo by Bunk Mann |
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann
The biblical sand sculptures have been an Ocean City tourist attraction for over 40 years. Located on the beach in front of the Plim Plaza Hotel, they are one of the most photographed sites on the Boardwalk. Themes such as Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, Jesus on the Cross and the Last Supper inspire and delight thousands of visitors to the Boardwalk each year.The sculptures were began by artist Marc Altamar in the early 1970s and continued under the skilled hands of Randy Hofman after Altamar moved to Florida in 1981. Hofman, a well-known local artist and ordained minister, carves the figures using his hands and a plastic crab knife while young people from the Son’spot dig the piles of sand on which the sculptures sit. A mixture of glue and water help preserve the sand sculptures, which depending on the weather can last for several weeks.
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I used to love sitting on the Plim Plaza deck facing the boardwalk,watching the people stop and look at this.The lights were focused on it to show every detail.You could tell that some had never seen anything like it.What an amazing gift.
ReplyDeleteUntil my husband John died in April of 2013, we went to Ocean City every year in September. We always looked forward to the latest sand sculptures. This is the first time I knew anything about who the artist was. I met Bunk Mann last year when we were staying at the Harrison Hall Hotel. My husband had fallen in our room and couldn't get back in his wheel chair. Bunk and a couple others helped him back up. Later Bunk and I chatted on the porch and he told me about the book he is writing about the history of Ocean City. I look forward to getting a copy of it when it comes out.
ReplyDeleteKaren