Kids & Family

Sandcastle in Memoriam at Powwow by the Sea

A sandcastle made by local sandcastle teams is now on-display next to the Imperial Beach Pier. The sandcastle depicts an eagle with its wings wrapped around Alfreda Clemmons, a 12-year-old dancer on a local team who died last year.

Powwow by the Sea in Imperial Beach was her last dance, said Jennifer Gastelum, a member of the Soaring Eagle Dance Team who helped teach her to dance.

The Gastelum family host Powwow by the Sea which continues Sunday at Pier Plaza from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Clemmons was brought to practices by her aunt from the Viejas reservation. Over years with the Soaring Eagles she appeared in the Big Bay Balloon and Chula Vista Christmas parades and traveled to several powwows.

"She was such a beautiful dancer that we wanted to make sure we honored her legacy," Gastelum said. "You don't see genuine dancers like that. It's kind of like a following."

I.B. Posse created the sculpture with Dan Gutowski from the Sand Squirrels. The award winning I.B. Posse has created a sculpture for Powwow by the Sea for the better part of the last decade.


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