August 31st 2021

"It makes my heart glad with the way the world's going today to be able to just take what God created, every grain of sand, and mold them into something that looks like a baseball stadium, a princess castle," said David Coyle.

The sandcastle savant started constructing masterpieces with his son two decades ago.

"I always wanted to build him the biggest thing on the beach that he could smash when we left," the Williamstown native said.

Now a grandfather, Coyle enjoyed building his first sandcastle with his grandson last week in Ocean City. But even more recently than that, he built a special work of art for a young boy.

"Joey is one of the most amazing kids I know," he said. "His heart just glows when we do this stuff."

The 8-year-old asked Coyle to build a baseball stadium where the Philadelphia Phillies might play. Along with classic seashells, they decorated it with red crystals to represent players and fans.

"Building these sandcastles makes people feel like they could do what he does, so they're inspired by him," said Joey Dickerson. "It's really fun to see new people join us that we don't know."

Passersby stare in awe at the super-sized castle until the sun sets. Some kids even enjoy participating in the construction process, which could take six to eight hours. But perhaps the most fun part is toppling the castle walls once all the photographs have been snapped.

"The tide is going to take it away anyway, so why not let a kid just have a blast and take it down," said Coyle. "It's gonna be gone tomorrow, no matter what. I can do whatever I want, it's here for a while and then it's gone. It's like life."

Coyle and his family build at least four or five sandcastles each year at their favorite beach in Ocean City. He hopes to continue the tradition as long as there are still kids there to enjoy it.