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Merry Old “Sand” of Oz Wows in Arlington

You may never look at sand the same way again after you visit Arlington's newest attraction.

Step into the giant tent just north of Globe Life Park and you"ll instantly find yourself in the in the "merry old land of Oz" – no Kansas twister needed to take you there.

But in this world, everything is made of sand.

"I mean, talk about job satisfaction," said Warren Lyng, the creator and producer of the project, called Fantasy in Sand. "We're still open-mouthed."

Fantasy in Sand brings 16 iconic scenes from the The Wizard of Oz to life. Some of the scupltures are more than 20 feet tall.

"It's just unbelievable," said Thomas Koet, one of the professional sand sculptors who worked on the project. "We've been working more than 70 hours a week for four weeks straight just to get it done."

It took a team of 14 professional sand sculptors to create the finished product. Koet said each of the scenes started as big blocks of wet sand they packed into wooden frames. Once they had the basic shape they were looking for, they removed the frames and molded them into what you see today.

"The sand just likes to stay this way," said Koet.

In addition to the Wizard of Oz scenes, the team created sculptures of American icons like the Lincoln Memorial and Statue of Liberty, which visitors can see on the way out of the exhibit.

There's also a Texas-sized sandbox inside the tent, where kids and families can touch and play with as much sand as they please.

"It's incredible," said Lyng. "As artistic and brilliant as [the exhibit] is, the biggest hit is the sandbox. The kids just love that sandbox."

Fantasy in Sand is located just off of Ballpark Way, next to the Arlington Sheraton.

Tickets are $19.99 for adults and $15.99 for kids.

The exhibit will stay in Arlington through Aug. 23.

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