Virginia Beach, Virginia offers everything for long vacations, one day visits and anything in between, filled with museums, both military and historical, botanical garden that is both gorgeous and educational, all kinds of oceanfront and on the water activities from fishing to parasailing, and a concrete three mile long boardwalk that everyone from moms pushing bay strollers to runners or skateboarders find perfect for exercise or simply getting around.
The boardwalk itself is dominated by King Neptune, a 34-foot-high bronze statue of the Roman God of the Sea. Cast in China about 20 years ago, it is made of 80 tons of clay cast with 25 tons of plaster and another three and a half tons of stainless steel. The massive statue sits regally among another 100,000 pounds of rock between the boardwalk and the ocean beach.
It was constructed entirely with private contributions with Neptune Festival, the non-profit organization that stages the Neptune Festival each September. This year’s event, beginning September 26, will feature more than 20 performances by local and national bands on two distinct stages, together with more than 200 artisans with handmade works for Neptune’s Arts& Crafts Show and another more than 200 food vendors and everything else over the 33 blocks of the sidewalk. There’s also a Sand sculpting championship contest, a race, tournaments, Poseidon’s Playground and a regatta.
Clearly, Neptune, or Poseidon for those who prefer the Greek God of the Sea, is a popular meeting place and photographer’s delight at the corner of 31st street and the Boardwalk.
Paul DiPasquale, a resident of Richmond, Virginia, is the artist who created the massive statue; he was selected after a national search for an artist to design the protector and symbol of the Virginia Beach waterfront. DiPasquale, who earned his master’s in art from Virginia Commonwealth Community College, has been an instructor and both resident and visiting artists in Virginia, Maryland, Rome, Paris, the University of William and Mary and numerous other venues. His Arthur Ashe statue in bronze is on Richmond’s famed Monument Avenue. The artist has earned recognition for his intuitive and insightful work in numerous areas and continues to work and live in Richmond.
Constructed entirely through the generosity of private contributions gathered by the Neptune Festival, this statue is dedicated to the city of Virginia Beach and its citizens. Surrounded by the creatures of his realm, mighty trident in hand, Neptune’s gaze rests affectionately on the shore. His heroic visage honors the maritime legacy of Virginia Beach while also standing as a vivid reminder of the community’s duty to respect and protect our natural blessings.
Neptune is probably the most photographed statue in all of Virginia, with visitors and residents alike following the tradition of having their photo taken in front of it or reaching for the 11-foot-long loggerhead turtle he holds in his massive hand. Two dolphins, both 15 feet or larger in size, are on the massive rocks that surround the statue and an eight-foot octopus with rolled up arms all remind visitors of the wealth of diversion beneath the sea.
Because of its popularity, the city has several benches along the boardwalk for folks to meet and where strangers strike up conversations simply to share their awe and stories about Neptune, or Poseidon.
Navy Lt. (Jg) Angus Yeoman of Bayville brings his visitors to see Virginia Beach’s classic Neptune. The officer is stationed at Naval Air Station Norfolk as a helicopter pilot. He is a graduate of Donavan High School and the University of South Carolina.
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