The Amateur Sandcastle Contest returns to the Five Star Dealerships Sand & Sawdust Festival, Saturday June 29, on the beach in Ocean Shores. The contest is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a free workshop from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Form Finders, a professional sandcastle building group from Olympia will manage the contest, building one of their professional quality creations on the beach, and teaching a free workshop. On Friday from around 10 a.m to 5 p.m. they will create one of their famous sand sculptures. Come watch and pick up ideas and techniques for the contest on Saturday.
The theme for this year is Creature Castles. There will be an award for the sand creation that best represents the theme and an award for the group that has the most fun.
Each team will be given a 15×15 square area to work with. Five people can be working at a time (you can rotate team members) and only sand, water, shells and other natural beach materials found on the beach that day can be used for construction. Forms can be used in the construction process but can in no way support the final structure. Hand tools may be used but the use of power tools is not permitted. This is an amateur competition, professional “sand artists” are disqualified from winning.
More information and registration instructions are available at sandandsawdust.org. There is a $5 per person registration fee up to a maximum of $20. Applications can be filled out in advance and participants may register at the festival info booth or on the beach.
You can find the contest, as well as the first Sand Drawing Celebration, using the beach entrance next to the Shilo Hotel. Parking is to the right (north), the contest will be on the left, just south of the polls.
The festival begins on Friday June 28, and runs through Sunday June 30. Activities are at the Ocean Shores Convention Center, and on the beach.
The Festival is an Ocean Shores/North Beach Chamber of Commerce Event. For more information go to www.sandandsawdust.org, e-mail info@sandandsawdust.org, or call (360) 289-2451.
