Singing Sands Festival is in full swing, welcoming master sand sculptors.

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- Attendees of all ages came to enjoy the sand sculpting festival Fri. July 18. Food trucks, music, and of course, live sand sculpting filled Washington Park.

Master sand sculptors from all over the country came to show off their talents, including Bruce Peck, who has been part of the festival since the beginning, four years ago.

For Peck, it’s not about the competition, but rather the meaning behind his piece.

“The competition is, for us, just a back piece to reinforce what we are doing,” said Peck. “I come to each competition just trying to do a sculpture that means something to me.”

This year, his sculpture is a woman rising with new wings.

“It’s to highlight the fact that, if you’re having trouble at any time in your life, don’t be afraid to just take a deeper look in your heart,” said Peck. “You’ll find the real you that’s supposed to be there.”

This event encourages the community to unleash their inner creativity with a “Kids Zone” right next to the professional stations. With this, kids can watch and learn from the masters.

The festival has three levels for sculptors: amateur, semiprofessional, and master.

“I’m actually one of the people who started as an amateur, moved to semi-pro, and now I’m up at the master level,” said Peck.

He also said that there’s no structure to working your way up the totem pole, but rather just practicing.

“There’s no classes you can take, you just need to get your hands in the sand,” said Peck.

To see Peck’s sculpture, and many other professional works, the festival continues this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and admission is $5.