A "three-peat" winning streak is born, and the Kirksey Architecture + Metzger Construction team brings home the coveted "Golden Bucket" sandcastle award. What’s the winning formula for a successful sandcastle competition? It’s not likely Andrew Tyler, Kirksey’s official “Sandman” and AIA Sandcastle team leader, will divulge the details, but let’s just say that whatever the secret, the Kirksey + Metzger Construction team has perfected it.

Successfully winning the coveted “Golden Bucket” award (it’s a very big deal) for the third year in a row on Saturday, June 3 at the annual AIA Houston Sandcastle event in Galveston, the team also took home awards for “Best Traditional Castle” and “Tallest Standing Structure,” with the tallest section standing at 11.3 feet in height!

This year, the Kirksey + Metzger team did “Smurf & Turf,” a scene involving Smurfs and a few famous dragons in the midst of an epic battle: Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, Falkor from Never Ending Story, and Elliot from Pete’s Dragon.

"We successfully defended our Golden Bucket title for the third straight year and had a lot of fun in the process,’” said Andrew Tyler, Kirksey’s “Sandman” and Sandcastle team leader. “It wouldn’t have been possible without an amazing team effort, and I am very proud of our entire team. They truly deserve all the thanks for the hard work they put in.”

The team, which grows every year, enjoyed getting creative and planning the design, working from a clay model to use as a guide. The day of the competition, the team was divided into separate groups and each conquered their portion of the design, whether it was rolling sand balls to add decorative details, or meticulously using custom tools to carve scales in a dragon.

True to Kirksey form, importance was placed on sustainability and the environment. As of time of press, the award is yet to be determined for “Most Sustainable Team,” but Kirksey is proud to have been a part of sustainable efforts to continue the company’s environmentally friendly mission.

A successful “three-peat” would not have been possible without a team effort from multiple sponsors and volunteers, including MGC and Durcon, who provided the large box frames for building, R&M Service Company who provided the team T-shirts, and Kix BBQ, who kept the entire team fed with delicious food throughout the day.

Check out our Facebook album for all the fun photos! Courtesy of Ruben Serrano Photography

Kirksey would like to extend a big thank you to all our amazing sponsors:
MGC Millwork
Durcon
R&M Services
Kimley-Horn
Kix BBQ
Lesco Architectural Lighting
The Ground Up Nursery
 PSA
Dur-a-Flex
LAI Lighting
Allegion
Clunn Acoustical Systems
Condon & Company P.C.
Crossville
Daltile
Tyvek
Griesenbeck
Sloan
Stone Source
Tandus Centiva
Able Engineering Services
CW Lighting
DuChateau
Emser Tile
Mohawk Group
Stonepeak High Tech Porcelain
Armstrong Ceiling Solutions
Formica
Scranton Products
The KipCo
Upchurch Kimbrough Company