The 12th annual Sandcastle Festival at Cobourg Beach saw thousands of people fill the beach for some fun in the sun and competitive sandcastle building.
Alessia Palumbo is competing with her family for the third time in the family sculpture competition. They won first place the last two years, and hope to win again.
“Our sculpture’s called ‘the big cheese’ and we’re making mice on cheese blocks,” said Palumbo.
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Organizers say the event draws 5,000 to upwards of 10,000 people each year to the beach.
“We look forward to this event every year. It’s one of our biggest events that happen. The Sandcastle Festival brings together master sculptures so today, we have 10 from North America building amazing creations,” said communications officer Ashley Purdy for the Town of Cobourg.
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Master sculpture Dale Andrews has been sculpting for eight years. He started as an amateur, sculpting in competitions with his family.
“About four years ago, I decided to go on my own, and ever since then, I’ve been competing around North America and building at festivals around North America and the United States,” he said.
He began creating his sculpture at 5:30 am on Friday and said it will probably take him a total of 22 hours.
“Today, I am sculpting one significant landmark from every province and territory in Canada.”
Thirty-six other teams are registered for the amateur competitions throughout the day. They include youth, business, individuals and adults all competing for some great prizes and gift cards.