TRAVERSE CITY -- Color, creativity and good design. That's what Junior Ambassador-in-training Will Schlosser, 8, looked for as he helped judge the Kid's Sand Sculpture Contest.
"I like number 580," said the Traverse City resident Will, pointing to "Cherry Pit Mountain," one of the many cherry-themed sculptures present. "I don't know what it is, but it has lots of stuff from the beach, so it's not just a pile of sand."
Contestants were allowed to use natural debris found on the beach for the popular National Cherry Festival event, and food coloring provided in spray bottles was available to help decorate their creations.
Kate Moran, the event director, said 99 contestants registered for the competition. Every participant earned a ribbon.
Best Cherry Festival Logo Replica winner for the 9-12-year-old category went to Kaylee Montney, 10, of Traverse City, while other prizes included Best Cherry Spirit, Most Creative and Best Cooperator.
"We're all teachers putting this event on," Moran said. "So we throw in awards like those to congratulate the kids and make sure everyone walks away with something."
The event was free and open to children ages 12 and younger. The Cherry Festival also sponsored a family sand sculpture contest for parents and young adults who wanted in on the action.
Haylee Brick, 8, and her cousin Nora Reed, 12, used every inch of their allotted space to create a larger-than-life sculpture of a face with a mouthful of cherries they dubbed, "The Cherry Gobbler."
"We never miss a festival," said Haylee, who makes the drive each year with her family from Clarendon Hills, Ill. "My dad was born here, so we always get to come back for the Cherry Festival."
Nora's mother, Becky Reed, of Spring Lake, said she enjoys making the trip north each year to meet her family.
"The festival is all what you make it," Becky said. "It's the highlight of our kids' summers. Their grandmother sends them the schedule each year and they mark the events they want to go to and talk about them all the way here."
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