Guess who’s coming to visit Sandalfoot Beachfront Condominium?
photo credit: ILoveShelling.com
What has more than 20,000 shells, 65 varieties of shells and more than 100 tubes of marine glue? The Shell Love Bug of course! Conceived as a mobile work of art to promote the shelling culture of the southwest Florida beaches, The Shell Love Bug is not only a work of art, but also a work of love. More than 65 volunteers contributed 1200 volunteer hours in just six weeks to create this unique piece of movable art.
The Shell Love Bug was commissioned by the Lee County VCB for the first ever National Seashell Day in June, 2016. It started its life as a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle convertible that cost $7,000 to purchase. The Love Bug is owned by the VCB and the design was created by local shelling aficionado Pam Rambo. Pam also donated her shell collection toward the car, as did many other local shellers. Not one shell was purchased; all were donated!
To make the Shell Love Bug a reality, Lee VCB asked local sheller Pam Rambo of iLoveShelling.com how she could help kick off the first annual National Seashell Day with a bang. Pam had the idea of having a car encrusted with seashells to make the largest Sailors Valentine ever on record. Lee VCB took a leap of faith, bought the VW convertible, then handed it over to Pam. Within 6 weeks, Pam’s vision of a shell art car masterpiece came to fruition.
This fabulous symbol of the Sanibel and Captiva lifestyle will be on display at Sandalfoot on Friday, May 26th at 11:00 am. The Shell Love Bug is worth its weight in shells as a tourism marketing symbol. From being showcased at a winter trade show (where it was the instant hit of the entire show) to local southwest Florida events, such as spring training games, the Sanibel Shell Show and displays at the Southwest Florida International Airport, the Shell Love Bug is admired among shell lovers everywhere.
Save the date, May 26th! 11:00 am! Sandalfoot Shell Love Bug visit!
Located on the east end of Sanibel Island, just one mile from the historic Sanibel Lighthouse, our vacation rental condo community is nestled beachfront on the Gulf of Mexico. Sandalfoot Beachfront Condominium has been consistently ranked #1 and #2 in our category by TripAdvisor, also receiving their Certificate of Excellence three years in a row. Sandalfoot Beachfront Condominium. So much more than a room with a view!
