What's new in Ocean Shores?
Weekend fun at both beaches
Thursday, June 21, 2007 11:09 AM PDT
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DAILY WORLD / KATHY QUIGG Mark Chapman of Portland says he will spend nearly 30 hours sculpting his sand castle for this weekend's Five-Star Sand & Sawdust Festival at Ocean Shores. Chapman began the design Wednesday. More than $5,000 in prize money will be awarded. |
OCEAN SHORES — Piles of sand and blocks of wood will be transformed into amazing works of art this weekend at the Five-Star Dealerships' Sand & Sawdust Festival in Ocean Shores.
The annual event attracts thousands to the beach to watch simultaneous sand sculpting and wood carving competitions. Admission to the festival is free.
Beginning at 9 a.m. Friday at the Convention Center, master chainsaw carvers from Europe, Japan, Australia and throughout the United States will compete for thousands of dollars in prizes. They'll continue carving castles, dragons, mermaids and much more until 4 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Festival-goers will also have a chance to take home an original carving. At the end of each day's competition, internationally known auctioneer Boaz Backus will auction off the works of art produced that day.
While sawdust spurts off the chainsaws at the Convention Center, sand sculptors will be at work just a few blocks away at the beach. Sand sculpting competitions begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with check-in and plot assignment two hours before. Judging will be at 3 p.m., but onlookers can watch the sand take shape all day.
The stakes are high in the sand sculpting competition. More than $5,000 in prize money will be awarded, including a $1,500 first-place prize in the masters category. The top prize for intermediate sculptors is $500, while $300 goes to the first place novice sculpture team.
In the family category, hundreds of dollars of gift certificates and merchandise donated by Ocean Shores businesses will be given away.
If you'd like to practice your sculpting skills before the competition, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday the festival is offering free lessons open to all.
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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO A grown-up pirate faces off against a pair of junior wannabes during a past Rusty Scupper's Pirate Daze Festival at Westport. |
More than 90 food and crafts vendors will be on hand at the Convention Center all weekend, as well. There will also be a raffle drawing on Sunday at the 4 p.m. awards ceremony.
Raffle tickets and shirts are available at the Visitor Information Center now. Master sand artists are currently creating a sample sand sculpture outside the Convention Center, while piles of logs sit in the parking lot waiting for saw blades. Drop by for a preview of the weekend's events.
Source: The Daily World
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