As a boy of 5, Sanders A. Stone loved to build sand castles. Fortunately for Sanders, he lived along the gulf shores of sunny South Carolina. Unfortunately for Sanders, the shoreline near his house was covered with more rocks than sand.

 

When it came time for his 6 th birthday party, Sanders' dad filled the sandbox in their backyard with fresh, clean sand. His mom began gathering rings to toss, baseballs to throw and targets to hit to give the party a carnival atmosphere.

 

The night before the party, however, something very magical happened. A storm like no other before or since hit the South Carolina shore. When Sanders awoke in the morning, his beloved sandbox was filled with water and was unusable for the day's party. On the beach, however, was the most amazing sight: dunes of clean sand covered the normally rocky terrain in mounds that were higher than Sanders' head! The birthday boy was overjoyed.

The party, as you can imagine, was a huge success, with kids alternately climbing in the sand and playing the carnival games that were now set up in the back yard. When the parents came to pick up their kids, they too began to dig in the sand, building sand sculptures much larger and more imaginative than any they could ever have created in a sand box. Sanders' dad kept the grill going until all were fed and happy and the next door neighbor brought his guitar to the beach and sang until after dark. It was the best birthday Sanders had ever had.

 

Three days later, another freak storm came and swept the sand sculptures away, leaving behind the rocky beach that was so familiar to the Stone family.

 

Sanders never forgot that magical 6 th birthday and he talked about it wherever he went. When his family moved to La Crosse, Sanders made lots of new friends, friends from many cultures and friends of many abilities. His vision for a magical event where all his friends could enjoy sand, games, music and food persisted. He kept talking to grownups about his vision until finally his idea became a reality. Because he wanted to make sure all friends could have the same opportunities he has, Sanders decided to give all the money he raised from the event to Riverfront, where it would go to provide support for people with disabilities.

 

Today the magic of Sanders' 6 th birthday party is re-created each August when Riverfront stages CenturyTel's Sand on the Riverfront at Riverside Park. Each year a different theme is chosen for the sand sculptures and in many cases that theme rubs off on the other activities. The family friendly event appeals to children of all ages and abilities, and it makes Sanders one of the happiest kids on the planet.