Sandcastle Competition to Return to IB in June

Updated 1:45 p.m. April 22.

A sandcastle competition for adults and children will be held in Imperial Beach June 30, Jim Hutzelman of the Port of San Diego announced Monday.

This will be the first organized sandcastle event in Imperial Beach since the end of the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition in 2011.

Contrary to previous proposals, no admission fee will be charged and access to the beach will not be blocked, he said.

The event will have an emphasis on community involvement and double as a celebration of the Port of San Diego's 50th anniversary.

Hutzelman expects upwards of 20,000 people to attend.

"It's not going to be huge but I think we'll get a sizable crowd," he said.

Attendees can expect a tumbling and circus act, kids' art show, family events, local vendors and more.

"The family attractions on Pier Plaza will be produced by Shari and Brian Mills of The Project Mills, the company that did the production work for the June 2012 IB KidsFest," Hutzelman said in an email. "The adult and children's sand sculpting portions on the beach will be produced by Gordon Summer and Kent Trollen, in cooperation with Rico Toscano and the Imperial Beach Optimist Club, producer of past Kids 'N Kastles events.

The event was organized by a group of local volunteers who came forward after meetings held in March together with Summer and Trollen and the Port of San Diego.

The name of the actual event and whether adults will take part in a competition or exhibition will be decided by organizers at a meeting later this week.

Specific sponsors have not been identified. Money to pay for the 2013 event will come from $40,000 in Port starter money. Organizers will start to plan for the 2014 event in May, Hutzelman said.

Click here to read more background on sandcastle competitions in Imperial Beach.

Clarification: The original version of this article stated the new competition to be held June 30 is the first organized sandcastle competition since 2011. This sentence has been changed to state that the new competition will be the first organized sandcastle competition in Imperial Beach since 2011.