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Building Fun: Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest

In a cozy beach community in northwestern Oregon lies one of the oldest beach festival traditions on the Pacific Coast and the oldest sandcastle contest west of the Mississippi.  The Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest, in its 52nd year, is going strong and is an annual event that brings the close knit community of 1,500 together to host up to 20,000 visitors.  

 

Sitting roughly 90 minutes northwest from Portland, Cannon Beach is home to some breathtaking oceanside scenery and an authentic small town atmosphere. In fact, chain businesses such as McDonald’s are quite uncommon in Cannon Beach which adds to the individuality of the community.

 

On June 11 this year, the community becomes a destination for anyone looking to celebrate Cannon Beach, sandcastles, and the energy that comes with early summer on the northwestern Pacific Coast. The entire weekend of festivities is more than just sandcastle building.  It’s a family friendly weekend featuring live music, a parade, and--as the rules of summer would dictate--s’mores! The Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest weekend is something that strives to be an ideal weekend getaway for families of any size.

 

ResortsandLodges.com recently spoke with Debbie Nelson, the Chairman of the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest, to find out more about this special event!

 

RAL: Tell me a little bit about the event! How long has the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest been going on?

DN: This is our 52nd year!  A long standing tradition that attracts over 50 teams participating for cash prizes and bragging rights. Check out this year’s poster by Blue Bond.  He’s one of the newest artists in town.  Blue Bond Gallery currently has the original artwork displayed for sale.

 

RAL: How many annual participants do you draw?

DN: On “Sandcastle Day”, our small coastal town of 1500 swells to over 20,000.  As you can imagine, parking can be an issue, so we’ve gotten creative and allowed parking ON the beach.  It’s the only day you can park on the beach here!

 

RAL: What is the typical demographic make up for this event?

DN: Literally thousands of families and groups of friends flock to the beach to see what our sand artists have come up with this year.  It’s a family friendly weekend with numerous activities for all.

 

RAL: Take me through a day at the event.  What can I expect as an attendee?

DN: Friday night we start off the weekend with a parade through town.  Anyone can join in, and it’s free!  We even have our own sandcastle float we proudly show off for the occasion.

Saturday morning is the contest itself.  Volunteers are up at daybreak to organize the event and get everything ready for the main attraction, the sandcastle contest!  It’s a five hour sand extravaganza with shovels and buckets in constant motion. The awards ceremony is always a fun time as many participants come back year after year to keep the friendly competition going and see who will take first prize in each category: masters, large group, small group, junior, teens, sand fleas.  We have commemorative medallions and tee shirts made each year that are collectable.

 

Saturday night you will find a large bonfire with complimentary s’mores for everyone, along with a free concert by local musicians Thistle & Rose. Sunday morning is our 5k fun run and walk.  This usually draws participants of all ages and they too get a medallion and tee shirt!  As you can see, we like to have a lot of free and fun events, and award our participants.  Did I mention that first place in the master’s division receives $1200? Really!

 

RAL: What can an attendee expect to find for local lodging?  Our travelers are a segment of the market that seek out unique, mom & pop accommodations...is that what they will find when they come to your event?

DN: Best place to be is on the beach, joining in and having fun!  Then pop back into town for some great food and shopping.  Stay for the weekend in one of our mom and pop run hotels, just remember to make your reservations early.  Many of the hotels book out a year in advance!  Ocean Lodge even has special chocolate sandcastles made by Bruce’s Candy Kitchen waiting for you as you check into your room. The local businesses are ready for this main event of the year and do a great job of creating a unique experience at the coast for all our visitors.  We also encourage people to make it a day trip from Portland.  Sometimes this is the best option if our hotels are booked up in advance.

 

RAL: What does this event mean to the community?

Numerous local business sponsor the event, with Coaster Construction being our key sponsor.  We could not put this event on without them, literally!  In addition to monetary funds, Coaster Construction also volunteers much of the “man power” to create the beach set up for the Sandcastle contest. With a community spirit of volunteerism, many locals give of their time throughout the weekend to ensure the event's success.  From the postmaster, to the candy maker, the mayor, even the florist (that would be me), we all pitch in to create a packed weekend that benefits the businesses in revenue and advertising that lasts throughout the year.  Of course, as a resident, it is a bit of a squeeze to share such a small town with so many visitors at once but we’ve done it for 52 years and counting! In addition to all that, the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest is a recipient of the Oregon Heritage Award!

 

RAL: Does this event support a special cause within the community?

DN: We share the beach and  fundraising opportunities with other non-profit organizations who have food booths during the sandcastle contest to service our event goers.  These have included; Cannon Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Children’s Center, Cannon Beach Academy, Friends of Haystack Rock Fire Mountain School.

 

RAL: Why should people come to your event?

DN:  It isn’t just the oldest sandcastle contest west of the Mississippi River, It’s a nationally known event and people come year after year and it’s become part of their tradition. We have people come that visited when they were kids and they had kids of their own and brought them.  Now, three generations later, a lot of the same people come. We had someone contact us last year and he told us how he won 40 years ago! We decided to make him a judge for last year’s contest.

 

It’s the oldest sandcastle contest west of the Mississippi.  I look at how much this event means to people and, honestly, I hope more people can incorporate this into their yearly traditions!  And it’s a fun, free event.  We’re trying to create commerce for the town!

 

To find out more about the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest, be sure to visit their website!