WHAT MAKES YOU SO AMAZIN' ... WALTER ?...
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 LET'S GET PERSONAL
 Know me as: Amazin' Walter,
proud Texan, Grand Poohbah of the Sons of the Beach*, resident of South
Padre Island, my "end of the road island paradise"... my friends
do. Below is a list of some of my accomplishments, some recent and some
not so recent but more impressive. I take life a day at a time and think
that variety is the spice of life. Here's thanks to all who helped me be
who and what i am, my mother, my father, my daughter, my fairy god mother
(AKW), a 50 year long list of friends, especially Lucinda "Sandy
Feet" Wierenga, fellow SoB, my partner in sand, publishing, and
performance. She's also my ex-wife, and my world wide web guru. http://www.unlitter.com
Selected Accomplishments |
"Owed to Gaudi"
3rd place
World Championship Sand Sculpting Competition |
WINNER!
1996 will stand out in my memories as the year I won 3rd place (solo division) at the World Championship
Sand sculpting Competition at Harrison Hot Springs, B.C. Other proud
moments in sand sculpting competitions include: 2000, 2nd place Ft Myers...
1992 1st place at The American Sand Sculpting Championship (a solo
event) in FtMeyers Beach Fla. :1986 2nd place (team w/SandyFeet and M.E.
Montgomery) at Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach, Va: 1994 4th place
(team w/SandyFeet)Minnesota State Fair Professional Competition. |
"Wizards Roost"
1st place
American Championship Sand Sculpting Competition |
SAND
   
2000.... Sand has taken us around the world... well sandy feet
anyway... i been to Canada and Japan... and many places in the U.S.
Sand sculpting as entertainment is a fairly new concept to me
too. Though I did my first "paid demonstration" in 1985 when the
South Padre Island Tourist Bureau took me to a convention to attract attention
to their booth (SandyFeet went along and went out to North Padre Island
and entered a sand sculpting competition)14 years experience has changed
our work considerably. 1998 found Sandy Feet and I constructing a large
demonstration sculpture at Portfest in Newport Arkansas for the 7th year,we
worked for Intercollegiate Communications for 6 years in a row here on SPI
during spring break building castles for Chrysler, Sprint, Geo and others
and for other promoters working with Ocean Spray and AT&T (see this
one now at http://spionline.com/album/sprngbrk99.html
.) We worked on The Lost City of Atlantis
in SanDiego during September '97... it is a new world record... We have
built sand castles in 12 states and 4 countries including Japan
in March of 1998. Think we could help you
promote in sand?
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That Silly Clown 
Other than being the "class Clown" all my school days, I never
had a thought about painting my face and performing... but in the early
eighties my friend Rick Benbow and I became involved with Ocean Safari in
the capacity of concessionaires. Performing magic for the patrons at the
bar (as i had done at Blackbeards while bartending) caused the owner of
the park to notice me and to ask me if i would do shows to fill in for the
cat show, which was to go to Vegas for 30 days... a clown was born!
I have completed 17 fun and silly years as Amazin' Walter silly
clown. I have worked Sombrero Fest for eight years in a row (ninth year
booked) , the Mercedes Automobile Show 3 years ( http://unlitter.com/autoshow
), and manned my spot on the patio at Blackbeards restaurant making
balloons for my seventh summer (starting my eightth). A few convention parties,
birthday parties, school shows,and Christmas parties and the "Amazin' Walter, silly clown is still havin' fun! |
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· PUBLISHED
December, 1996 issue of the Linking Ring magazine (the official
magazine for The International Brotherhood of Magicians) carries a personal
reflection of what it is like to "play Santa" for real. Titled
I Saw Santa " by Amazin' Walter"
McDonald. And in 1997 the Linking Ring selected Amazin' Walter for the cover
photo and story and featured him carving on a sand castle while dressed
as Santa... Other published works include Sand
Castles Step by Step by Lucinda Wierenga with Walter McDonald; a how
to book on sand sculpting which has been translated into Japanese for a
spring release in Japan. A new American version is also in the works. I
also shot photos for two locally produced history books on the Rio Grande
Valley, by Steve Hathcock. |
 · PUBLICITY/PROMOTIONS
I guess it was ego gratification (with a dash of opportunism)
that started me promoting South Padre Island as my "end of
the road island paradise" and me as just the guy to help you have
fun and go home with a souvenir to help you remember just how much fun you
had. Since Sandy Feet and I teamed up (early 80's) we have been listed in
the Guiness Book of Records as the organizers of the "Millerpede"
(the worlds longest sand sculpture), featured in a two page spread in the
"Globe" (the supermarket tabloid) identifying us as the
"The King and Queen of Sandcastles", a chapter in Bob
StJohns book "South Padre-The Island and its People, as
well as a chapter in Bob Phillips (Texas Country Reporter) book 52
Offbeat Texas Stops. Mr. Phillips also saw fit to include us in his
video tape 25 Years on the Backroads.
Though it is now a couple of years behind us the TELEVISION
COMMERCIAL FOR BEST BUY!!!!!!!!!!
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Article from Dan Leeth that ran in many publications.... |
photos of our castle in fashion spread! |
WEB WIZARD
The MILLENNIUM nears and I... amazinwalter.com... am writing
web sites... this one and also for... other... people... gulp...
http://amazinwalter.com
http://captrandy.com
http://deborahsgym.com
http://marinesalvagepi.com
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·*
click here to visit the Sons of the Beach:
*A not profitable disorganization dedicated to having fun and
unlittering**
**to properly dispose of more garbage than you generate!
Amazin'
Walter's Fun Spot
[sandcastle wizard] [clown] [photographer] [poohbah]
[ amazin' words ] [fisher]
[Christy] [as
seen on TV] [sandyfeet] [toes knows]
links
email amazin'
walter
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