People are invited to express creativity and enjoy some friendly competition at the Beachcombers Rest Nature Center Beachscapes Sandcastle Contest on Thursday, July 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
People are invited to express creativity and enjoy some friendly competition at the Beachcombers’ Rest Nature Center Beachscapes Sandcastle Contest on Thursday, July 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., weather permitting. Contestants are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild in the construction of castles, sea creatures, forts, or even raked sand gardens adorned with rocks, seaweed, or found objects.
Sign up that day at Beachcombers’ Rest Nature Center from 10-11 a.m. to receive a numbered stake and reserve a space on the beach. All constructions will be visited by nature center officials, and prizes will be awarded in the park’s picnic area at around 12:30 p.m. by King Neptune and Queen Neptune. In the spirit of this noncompetitive contest, each registered participant will receive an individualized certificate and prize.
Participants will be responsible for leaving their site tidy after the contest and should bring their own shovel. The program is free, with paid admission to the park. To reach the park from Damariscotta, take Bristol Road/Route 130 about 12 miles. Take the first right after the fire department and just before Fairwind Marine onto Snowball Hill Road. Travel nine-tenths of a mile. On the left, there is a sign for the entrance to Pemaquid Beach Park.
At past contests, Pemaquid Beach has teemed with children and adults busily focused on creating everything from ornate castles and multitiered complexes to a dog, a sun, a seal, a sea dragon, a massive guitar with long strands of seaweed for strings, a tall pyramid encased in seashells, and even a miniature of a harbor scene complete with lighthouse, dock, and buoys. There also have been huge turtles, one with a nest of eggs, and lobsters. One lobster even had a trap constructed from driftwood. With a very clever use of seaweed for hair and shells for adornment, full-size mermaids have emerged from the sand.
Beachcombers’ Rest Nature Center is a collaborative effort between Pemaquid Watershed Association and the Bristol Parks and Recreation Commission. Call 677-2754 for information about Pemaquid Beach Park.
