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Imperial Beach sandcastles - standing the test of time

Kid-friendly means no alcohol

Sandcastles — the perfect metaphor for a thing constructed that will not last
Sandcastles — the perfect metaphor for a thing constructed that will not last

Sandcastles, typically, are not built for longevity; they are the perfect metaphor for a thing constructed that will not last. Yet, in Imperial Beach, sandcastles have survived the test of time. Founded in 1887, the nation’s southwestern-most city was not incorporated until 1956, and not long after became synonymous with sand sculpting.

Past Event

Imperial Beach Sun & Sea Festival

In March of 1887, many of the two thousand laborers working on the Hotel Del Coronado project set up camp south towards the border and river mouth. The workers built shelters and complemented their diet with clams dug and fish. Many of the workers stayed in the area after the completion of the Del, built permanent homes, and the town grew. Imperial Beach grew into the 20th century as a blue-collar vacation town.

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Within four years of its incorporation in 1956, Imperial Beach’s leaders organized the Sun and Sea Festival. For that first festival in 1960, planners incorporated a sandcastle competition and in 1980, Imperial Beach became the host for the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition that ran there for 32 years.

Then the tide rose and the waves came; volunteers dwindled and costs were prohibitive following 2008-2009, and by 2011 the city had to pull the plug on the event. But within a year, the Port of San Diego began the I.B. Kid’s Fest that incorporated a sand-sculpting event. The festival has expanded its family-friendly (no alcohol) footprint by increasing the Farmers Market and International Food Fair while adding a kid-only zone at Dunes Park.

This year, the fun begins Friday morning with the Mayor’s Pier Swim and Paddle along with a three-mile walk/run, starting at the pier at 8 a.m., and then the Mayor’s Breakfast at 10 a.m. The sand sculpting area will be off-limits until Saturday, though there will be an exhibition sandcastle on display.

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Sandcastles — the perfect metaphor for a thing constructed that will not last
Sandcastles — the perfect metaphor for a thing constructed that will not last

Sandcastles, typically, are not built for longevity; they are the perfect metaphor for a thing constructed that will not last. Yet, in Imperial Beach, sandcastles have survived the test of time. Founded in 1887, the nation’s southwestern-most city was not incorporated until 1956, and not long after became synonymous with sand sculpting.

Past Event

Imperial Beach Sun & Sea Festival

In March of 1887, many of the two thousand laborers working on the Hotel Del Coronado project set up camp south towards the border and river mouth. The workers built shelters and complemented their diet with clams dug and fish. Many of the workers stayed in the area after the completion of the Del, built permanent homes, and the town grew. Imperial Beach grew into the 20th century as a blue-collar vacation town.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Within four years of its incorporation in 1956, Imperial Beach’s leaders organized the Sun and Sea Festival. For that first festival in 1960, planners incorporated a sandcastle competition and in 1980, Imperial Beach became the host for the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition that ran there for 32 years.

Then the tide rose and the waves came; volunteers dwindled and costs were prohibitive following 2008-2009, and by 2011 the city had to pull the plug on the event. But within a year, the Port of San Diego began the I.B. Kid’s Fest that incorporated a sand-sculpting event. The festival has expanded its family-friendly (no alcohol) footprint by increasing the Farmers Market and International Food Fair while adding a kid-only zone at Dunes Park.

This year, the fun begins Friday morning with the Mayor’s Pier Swim and Paddle along with a three-mile walk/run, starting at the pier at 8 a.m., and then the Mayor’s Breakfast at 10 a.m. The sand sculpting area will be off-limits until Saturday, though there will be an exhibition sandcastle on display.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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