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New Jersey

Christie sand sculpture pokes fun at NJ governor

By Fox News
Published | Updated

Artists in New Jersey used the sun and sand to express their anger toward Gov. Chris Christie after he enjoyed time on a beach that he closed during a state shutdown during the holiday weekend.

The group of artists at Seaside Heights raised a larger-than-life sand sculpture of the governor, showing him leaning back in a chair while wearing shorts and a baseball cap, NJ.com reported.

A plaque at the sculpture’s feet read “IBSP” for Island Beach State Park, where Christie was caught Sunday taking in the rays with his family at a beach house reserved for the state’s governor.

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In this Sunday, July 2, 2017, photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, uses the beach with his family and friends at the governor's summer house at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey. Christie is defending his use of the beach, closed to the public during New Jersey's government shutdown, saying he had previously announced his vacation plans and the media had simply "caught a politician keeping his word." (Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media via AP)

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When asked about the photos on Sunday, Christie spokesman said: “Yes, the governor was on the beach briefly today talking to his wife and family before heading into the office. He did not get any sun. He had a baseball hat on.”

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A wider shot of Christie with family and friends. (Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media via AP)

During the Independence Day holiday weekend the rest of the state was barred from entering the park – or any other – after the state legislature failed to pass a budget by the June 30 deadline. The shutdown caused non-essential state services to close.

The state shutdown ended slightly after midnight Tuesday when Christie signed the budget, NJ.com reported. State-run recreation site were open for Fourth of July.

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The sculpture at Seaside Heights were not the only way New Jerseyans poked fun at Christie, who many consider to be the least popular in the state’s history.

A banner ad urging Christie to “Get The Hell Off Island Beach State Park” flew over the Jersey Show on Monday -- apparently referencing the governor's famous demands that people “get the hell off the beach” as Hurricane Irene approached in 2011.