Bill Gaeckle of Rehoboth Beach, right, and his son, Mark, participated last year building sandcastles in their hometown for the Rehoboth Beach Sandcastle Contest. (Delaware State News file photo by Dave Chambers)
REHOBOTH BEACH — The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce will host the 37th Annual Sandcastle Contest on Saturday.
Over 100 teams are expected to express their artistic flair. Past creations have included a breakfast meal, Funland rides, Pyramids, Dolphins, Olympic athletes and of course traditional sandcastles. Beachgoers who would rather watch than work are welcome to view the incredible creations upon their completion beginning at 3 p.m. free of charge.
The contest will be held at Fisherman’s Beach at the north end of the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk, near the Henlopen Hotel in Rehoboth Beach. Sculptures may be started at any time on the day of competition, but must be completed for judging by 3 p.m.
Participants may register their entry anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult when registering for competition. Winners will be announced at approximately 5 p.m.
Judges are volunteers for RBDBCC.
Sand sculpting artist and Delaware State News managing editor Andy West will be on the beach at Rehoboth Avenue and the Boardwalk, 5 to 7 p.m. today giving sculpting demonstrations and lessons.
Prizes will be awarded to the top 10 Judge’s Favorites in both the adult and 7-14 child divisions.
Special awards will be given to all participants in the 6 and under child’s division.
Two People’s Choice Awards will be given during this year’s contest. The general public can vote on their favorite adult and child division creation, by completing an event evaluation. All regular contest rules apply.
•Participants will be divided into four divisions: Business, Adult (15 and older), Child 7-14, and Child 6 and under.
• There is no limit to the number of participants per team. Participants may not be on multiple teams.
• Piles of sand must be formed by manpower only. Mechanized assistance is not allowed.
• To be judged, creations must be built within placed “Feather” flag boundaries.
• The sand sculptures must contain only objects natural to the beach (shells, stones, seaweed, etc.) Participants must stay away from the dunes and dune grass.
• Sculptures may not be dampened or sprayed with any solutions other than water. In other words: no sticky stuff.
• Sculptures must be finished by 3 p.m.
This event is weather dependent. In the event of bad weather, setup and registration may be delayed up until 10:30 a.m. If bad weather continues, this event will be postponed until the following year. If bad weather occurs during the contest, participants may continue at will or at the discretion of lifeguards. Judging may be canceled at anytime if warranted by current weather conditions.
For more information, call the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce at (302) 227-6446 or visit www.beach-fun.com.