Latest news with #GulfShores
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Influencer Spends Hours a Day Creating Sand Castles on the Beach. Then, She Destroys Them (Exclusive)
Janel Hawkins runs the sand sculpting company, Sand Castle University, where she designs intricate beachside creationsNEED TO KNOW Janel Hawkins is the founder and owner of Sand Castle University, a sand sculpture business based in Gulf Shores, Ala. The team's creations can take anywhere from five hours to three days to build, but they must be destroyed after, as a result of sea turtle protection laws in the area The company's beach creations have gone viral on TikTok, where they now have over 1 million followersWhen Janel Hawkins was a freshman in college, an ad on Craigslist with an unusual listing caught her attention. 'Sand sculpting apprentice, no experience necessary,' the post she wasn't majoring in anything remotely related to art or architecture — in fact, she was studying business and psychology at the time — Hawkins remembered feeling called to check the listing out.'I was broke, as most college kids are, and needed a job,' Hawkins tells PEOPLE. 'I was like, 'This is crazy, like, there's no way.' "She applied anyway and ended up at tryouts for the role. She was picked, and spent the next three years studying under a master sand sculptor, learning the ropes and traveling throughout Florida, where she was in college at the time, building sand sculptures and learning the ins and outs of the started as a side hustle in college for Hawkins to hopefully make a little extra cash has since blossomed into a full-blown business. In 2017, with just a year left before graduating, Hawkins dropped out of college and returned home to Gulf Shores, Ala., to start her own business — cheekily named Sand Castle University. 'When I was three years in, I was going into my last year of school realizing that I wasn't going to do anything with my degree,' Hawkins explains. 'I just knew I didn't want a typical '9 to 5' and I didn't want to work for someone else.'In the early years, she juggled two other jobs while figuring out how to run a business as a 22-year-old.'I was definitely 'faking it until I make it,' " she says. Then, in 2020, while the rest of the world remained locked down as the spread of COVID-19 intensified, Hawkins found her business blowing up.'Alabama was closed for two weeks, and then whenever we opened back up, our sand castle classes were one of the approved activities because they're private classes and they're outdoor,' Hawkins explains. 'So we blew up. It was the busiest I had ever been. I had never, never seen money like that before.' From there, Hawkins quit her other jobs and hired full-time staff for Sand Castle University. Staying true to how she got her start, Hawkins doesn't hire traditionally trained artists for her instructing staff at Sand Castle she prefers to hire 'people people.''Two of our veteran instructors, Katie and Caitlin, were just skipping along the boardwalk, while I was doing a sculpture," she shares. "They were like 'Oh my goodness, we love your sand sculpture.' They had the guts to walk up to someone randomly and just start talking to them. Hawkins adds, "The kind of people that are really outgoing and engaging are the kind of people I'm interested in hiring.' Today, Sand Castle University is based in Gulf Shores and is a completely mobile business that offers a variety of different services to customers, including custom sculptures and consultations for everything from brand marketing activations to proposals to private sand sculpture building lessons. The company has collaborated with major brands like Toyota, Disney and La Roche-Posay. And thanks to social media like TikTok, where @sand_castle_university has 1.1 million followers, the business has recently been transformed in more unexpected ways. As of 2025, Hawkins says that social media has officially become the business's main source of income, surpassing both classes and commissions. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'People pay us to build sand sculptures, but then the other part of it is that they want a video of us building them,' Hawkins says. To meet the demand, she taught herself how to shoot and edit content, keeping all of their content creation in-house. Recently, Hawkins began experimenting with different kinds of videos to see what draws attention. Unsurprisingly, the ones that go viral most often are the ones that begin with her destroying her own work. 'It's kind of a grab,' she says. The smashing isn't just for show. Between May 1 and October 31, it's sea turtle nesting season on the Alabama Gulf Coast. 'By law, we have to dismantle our sculptures at the end of the day unless they're part of a permitted, roped-off event,' Hawkins explains. 'It's cathartic. It's happened a few times where I've seen a family walking up and I'll wait a few minutes so they can get their photos. Sometimes people don't realize it's my sculpture; I have to be like, 'Read my shirt. I'm actually supposed to do this.' " Despite the obvious effort that goes into the creations on TikTok (anywhere from five to eight hours to three days, she says), over time Hawkins has come to appreciate the impermanence of it all.'Social media has helped spread the awareness that art doesn't have to be forever. Obviously, we have a very temporary art form, right? We have the attitude that just because it doesn't last forever doesn't mean it wasn't worth doing. And I think that that's just really kind of poetic,' she is still permanent about her job, however? The sand that never quite seems to disappear from her car no matter how often she cleans it out. But, despite the transitory nature of her medium, Hawkins takes her craft seriously. She's developed her own style by drawing inspiration from architecture. After her home was hit by a hurricane in 2020, she became obsessed with design and began sculpting houses instead of traditional castles. 'Someone once told me no one would ever pay me to make houses out of sand,' she says. 'Then La Roche-Posay came to us and they said, 'Hey can you make this version of our French spa out of sand?' That was a moment for me of being like, 'Oh, people will pay.' "She's also known for her unconventional toolkit. 'None of my tools are meant for sand sculpting,' Hawkins reveals. Among the items she uses are masonry tools, construction tools, potters tools and even things like synthetic feather dusters (pro tip: for sand castle building, synthetic feather dusters are better than natural because they don't suck up as much water). Now that Hawkins has a team of sculptures and instructors to rely on, she has time to focus on what's next. She's dreaming of more ambitious, long-term projects—like sculpting every house on Gulf Shores' West Beach to line up into a sand replica neighborhood. is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! 'It would take forever,' she says. 'I also want to make a full living room set — couch, coffee table, the works — entirely out of sand.' As for the future of Sand Castle University, she's already planning the next phases: a master class for returning students. 'A lot of people come and take our classes every year, and I want to give them something new," she shares. "Not only is that challenging for them but a cool challenge for me to be able to create that class.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Tourists are leaving guns in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, police report
GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) — Tourists this season have forgotten more than just their toothbrushes and chargers as they pack up to head home. Bodies of Mobile woman, granddaughter found after Texas floods The Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Police Departments have recovered nearly 70 firearms from vacation rentals. According to a Facebook post from the GSPD, the department has been called 39 times since March 1, 2025, in regard to forgotten firearms. 'This discussion isn't about gun rights or the Constitution. It's about RESPONSIBILITY—preventing avoidable tragedies,' the post read. 'As you pack up to head home, please remember the beach motto: LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS!' Immigration enforcement operation leads to arrests at Robertsdale restaurant The OBPD reported they have recovered a total of 28 firearms from vacation rentals as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
HGTV star sparks concern as show Rehab Addict is taken off air after only two episodes
Nicole Curtis's wildly popular show Rehab Addict was pulled from the HGTV lineup after just two of the new season's episodes aired. That move caused fans of the bubbly blonde from Detroit to worry that something had happened to her. But fans need not worry, Nicole pulled the show herself, to give herself the summer off. The HGTV star took to Instagram to explain her decision to her fans why her good friend David Bromstad's Lottery Dream House would be airing in her show's place. Nicole, 48, began by thanking her viewers for making her show debut at number one before she dove into what was going on. 'I made the executive decision to shelf the rest of our new shows until Fall. I appreciate your support and understanding for the late notice,' she began. 'It's just a lot of hours (my hours) to get a show on air and we (my family +me) thought -why are we giving up Summer when we have the ability to do this in the Fall?' she noted. She went on to thank the 'powers that be at HGTV' for being 'receptive to our idea.' The star continued: 'Third, without a doubt, I, truly, am beyond happy with this decision as I just spent the day with a phone that was dead and had no worries about it. 'They are airing Lottery Dream Home in my place. Fun fact, David Bromstead was my pregnancy beach buddy as we were filming and living next to each other in Gulf Shores Alabama for Beach Flip (they just added those episodes to HboMax and Discovery+) So, don't be spreading rumors that he replaced me-I chose it ❤️.' The newest season of Rehab Addict premiered on June 24, only to be abruptly swapped out for My Lottery Dream House after 2 weeks. Rehab Addict first hit the airwaves in 2010 on the DIY Network. The show moved to HGTV in 2014 where it found broad appeal. The new season follows a three year hiatus for Curtis and the show. As for why she took time away, Curtis said she 'had a setback in my life that just rocked me to the core, and it was one of those moments where I thought, how do I get through this one?,' per People. 'I prayed on it and it was just devastating for me. I had to make a decision right there and then like, "Okay, we're going to let this affect us for a very long time, or we're going to pick it up and go"' The HGTV star took to Instagram to explain her decision to her fans so that they are not confused by her good friend David Bromstad's Lottery Dream House that is airing in her show's place She packed up her bags and left Detroit for Corfu, Greece via Paris where she planned to spend only one day. Except, she forgot her wallet and had less than $100 on her. 'I didn't realize until I was up in the air paying for my WiFi that I left my wallet behind,' she said. 'I didn't have a credit card on me. I had $72 of change in dollar bills stashed in my bag. So I landed in Paris without a wallet. I thought, well, you know what? This is it. This is my test. I'm going to figure it out.' Fortunately, a friend was able to transfer her some money via Western Union. 'It was so crazy that I was like, "This was a sign" and I made it through,' she recalled. She made the most of her time in Paris in the meantime. 'I put on my running shoes, I ran all the way around the Eiffel Tower and I biked around the Champs-Élysées. I did everything I wanted to do.' But Curtis never made it to Corfu, an irresistible house rehab project in Wyoming brought her back to the States instead. Curtis spoke to TooFab about returning to the show in the days leading to its premiere last month. 'So we never stopped rehabbing homes. We're always rehabbing homes. And you know, in the past 3 years I developed my production company and we've still been filming and producing,' Curtis explained. 'But it takes a really long time to finish one of our houses. So three years sounds like a lot. 'However, for us, that's about how long it takes you a house, so it all kind of goes hand in hand.'
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Immigration enforcement in Gulf Shores leads to more than 30 arrests
GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) — The FBI detained more than 30 people during an immigration enforcement operation today, has learned. Family devastated after Dothan woman was gunned down in front of her daughter The FBI shared these photos of the operation at the new Gulf Shores High School construction site. This was a joint operation with Gulf Shores Police, Orange Beach Police, and the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office. Medical units were called in case of emergencies during the operation, but there reportedly were no injuries. The individuals arrested were taken to a federal facility. 'The City of Gulf Shores and Gulf Shores City Schools are aware that a federal immigration inspection was conducted at the construction site of the new Gulf Shores High School,' a joint statement said. 'The construction site is under the complete control of the general contractor, and no city or school employees were present at the time of the inspection. Secret camera in Gulf Shores bathroom leads to arrest, deputies say 'For any further information regarding this inspection, we encourage inquiries to be directed to the involved parties.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Pace Pharmacy owners arrested on new charges in drug trafficking case; daughter also arrested
PACE, Fla. (WKRG) — The owners of Pace Pharmacy, who were previously arrested on racketeering and drug charges, have been arrested again. Immigration enforcement in Gulf Shores leads to more than 30 arrests According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement news release, Stephen Allen Burklow and Monique Hunter Burklow were arrested Monday on charges of illegal drug possession. Their 22-year-old daughter, Laikyn Noel Burklow, was also arrested and charged with illegal drug possession. On May 14, Stephen and Monique Burklow were arrested on accusations of conspiring to traffic prescription drugs as well as conspiracy to commit racketeering, money laundering, healthcare fraud and identity theft, according to previous reporting. Stephen was a pharmacist, along with David Barron Winkles, who was also arrested and charged with conspiracy to traffic schedule 2-controlled substances and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Monique was the pharmacy's office manager. At that time, an FDLE news release said the pair allegedly trafficked more than 48 pounds of oxycodone, more than 57 pounds of hydrocodone, and just under a kilogram of hydromorphone. With these newest arrests, 54-year-old Stephen is charged with 10 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, five felony counts of identity theft, and 10 misdemeanor counts of drugs without a prescription, the release said. His 58-year-old wife, Monique, is charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and four misdemeanor counts of possession of drugs without a prescription, according to the release. Laikyn is charged with one count of possession of drugs without a prescription, the release said. Warrants were issued for the three suspects, and they turned themselves in to the Santa Rosa County Jail on Monday. Former Alabama defensive end completes almost four marathons in a day Monday's arrests are linked to the May 14 case, which remains ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
