U.S. Open Sandcastle competition

The U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition was the largest sandcastle competition in the United States and among the top 10 best sandcastle competitions, according to the Travel Channel.[1] The U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition was an annual, free summer weekend event held in Imperial Beach, California and was open to the public.

The event began on Friday with a community breakfast and dance to kick off the events and was followed by a two-day public event on Saturday and Sunday that consisted of kids, amateur and professional sandcastle building contests. The builders vied for cash prizes. The event also included a street fair, which featured local and regional vendors, as well as entertainment.[2]

The U.S. Open Sandcastle competition had its last year at Imperial Beach in 2011, due to lack of resources and volunteers.[3] It was replaced in 2013 by Imperial Beach's Sun & Sea Festival, which included a sandcastle competition for kids.[4]

History

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The competition originated in 1981 when a group of Imperial Beach residents formed the first Sandcastle Days Committee.[5] The U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition Committee was a nonprofit group and part of the proceeds from the event went to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Over the years, the event grew to attract more than 325,000 spectators.[6]

Events

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The Kids-N-Kastles competition was held on Saturday and was open to children 12 years old and younger. The competition had three categories: castles, best sculpture and creatures of the sea. Teams were allowed to sculpt from 2-3:30 p.m. and then winners and raffle prize winners were announced from 4-5 p.m. on the main stage.

On Sunday, amateur and professional teams competed for over $21,000 in cash prizes. Professional teams competed in the Masters category, which was divided between three-person and 10-person teams. Within the 10-person category, $5,000 was awarded to the first place Master's Champion. Second place won $3,000 and third place $2,000. Within the three-person category, first place won $2,500 and second place $1,500. Amateur teams competed in an "open" competition divided into 5 categories: Castles of Your Mind, Best Sculpture, Best Replica, Creatures of the Sea and Executive Sand Box, which was a business sponsored team. First place won $1,000, second place $500, third place $200 and fourth place $100. All teams sculpted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Due to tides, the sculptures could only be viewed until 4 p.m.

The street fair was held on both Saturday and Sunday and was located on Seacoast Drive. Entertainment included local bands performing on the main stage at Pier Plaza.

Location

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Imperial Beach, California is the most southwestern city in the continental United States and is located 12 miles south of downtown San Diego.[7]

Notes

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  1. ^ Mason, Mark. "Best North American Sandcastle Contests." www.travelchannel.com. 14 April 2009.
  2. ^ Kragen, Pam. "National sand castle competition next weekend in Imperial Beach." North County Times. 6 July 2008.
  3. ^ Stickney, R. "Imperial Beach Sandcastle Competition Canceled" NBC San Diego. 9 November 2011.
  4. ^ Sampite-Montecalvo, Allison. "IB sandcastle event gets new name for 2013" UT San Diego. 3 May 2013.
  5. ^ "A U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition History." Eagle & Times. 10 July 2008.
  6. ^ Garcia, Alicia. "Sand Blast." Ranch & Coast magazine. July 2008.
  7. ^ "Home". cityofib.com.
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