Come and sea
Everything is just fine and sandy at the 2022 Sandcastle Contest
By Sabine Wilson
For the TODAY
There are few things as formative in childhood as going to the beach for the first time. And one of the ultimate mechanisms of nostalgia is building a sandcastle — being able to mold the sand in your hands and play the role of an architect just for the moment.
Luckily for the inner child in all of us, Mo’s Seafood & Chowder is hosting the 2022 Sandcastle Contest right in front of its restaurant at Siletz Bay this Sat, Aug 13.
“This year we are proud to partner with Lincoln City Parks & Rec to offer the 2022 Sandcastle Contest in front of Mo’s,” said General Manager Frank Stutzman. “We have the most categories and sponsors in the history of the sandcastle contest.”
Mo’s is letting creativity fly this year with 10 different categories to participate in, each with a $100 prize for the winner.
The “Kids Only” categories include Sea Themed Castle, Food Truck Creation and Dinosaur.
“The most exciting part of the contest is watching everyone’s creativity grow throughout the event and then seeing the finished result,” Stutzman said. “My favorite part is seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces when their name is called and they get to go up onto the pier and accept their $100 prize.”
The “General Entry” categories are Chowder Head, Mermaid, Cruise Ship, Dolphin, Cheeseburger, Lawn Mower and House.
More categories mean more opportunities to win and more sandcastles to admire. But more importantly, there are more opportunities to have fun and interact with one another.
“To present the sandcastle contest is a way that we at Mo’s can live out one of our values of ‘building up our communities,’” Stutzman said. “We believe that providing opportunities for kids, families and individuals to get outside while having fun and being creative is key to the success of being a part of any community.”
There will also be a special treasure made by a local artist that event-goers can win during the contest.
“We will have a special drawing for a one-of-a-kind hand-painted commemorative stone,” Stutzman said. “This was provided by the very talented Debra Kirk-Rogers from Heartstones.”
There will also be live music at the event provided by the host.
“Bret Lucich will be returning to emcee the event and bring joy to all of us as he sings and plays music,” Stutzman said. “He will be conducting the annual taffy toss.”
Registration for the event starts outside of Mo’s with a $5 entrance fee. Proceeds will be donated to the Backpack for Kids Program, which helps Lincoln City students go home from school with healthy food. The organization also provides a food pantry in the Taft 7-12 school and donates to many other food giveaway events every year.
Only sand, water, shells and other natural beach materials already present on the beach that day can be used for construction. Forms can be used in the construction process but cannot support the final structure. Hand tools are allowed, but not power tools. This is an amateur competition — professional “sand artists” are disqualified from winning prizes.
Build sandcastles, eat some famously delicious Mo’s chowder and soak up the summer sun at this historic event.
The competition begins at 10 am and judging begins at 1 pm. Signup is outside Mo’s at 860 SW 51st Street, Lincoln City. For more information, go to ilovemoschowder.com.