Sandscapes exhibit wows the crowds — again

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- You could say it was love at first... scrape.

As unromantic as that sounds, Greg and Brandi Glenn found their match on the sand castle circuit. And, as they say, "the rest is history."

30 years into making a career of digging themselves out of a hard spot, the husband and wife duo of Sandscapes has -- once again -- given the crowds at the Colorado State Fair a sculpture to "ooh and ahh" over.

This piece brings together a colossal 150 tons of packed-hard-as-brick sand into a 16-foot-tall "riff," as Greg calls it. Monster trucks driven by gleeful farm animals, frozen in time, smile back at the very spectators they entertain.

Its inter-woven textures -- a fork-scraped haybale here, a smoothed wheel rim there -- give way to new tones, leaving the casual watcher mesmerized.

"I've got about ten pounds of plasticine at home that I'll just kinda play with to get an idea," said Greg. Ideas then come to life after each level of sand is scraped away, and the massive structure takes on its character.

Greg and Brandi started work on this sculpture -- which is safely tucked away under a canopy, away from the elements -- in early August. Midway through its creation, the pair stepped away to start another project at another fair. They returned back to Pueblo to put on the finishing touches right before the fair kicked off on August 26th.

"It's just come together really nice," said Greg, of the creation.

Of course, the only way to absorb it is to see it in person.

The Colorado State Fair runs through September 5th.