The annual Davis Bay Sandcastle Competition attracted 29 teams and hundreds of spectators to the sandy shores of Mission Point on Sunday, July 16. The Sunshine Coast Lions Club assumed sponsorship of the popular tradition a year before COVID, and restarted the event last year. “We had a slow start to registrations, but things picked up after an hour,” reported the judges. The quality of the works was so good that adjudication exceeded the half-hour allotted to it.
The inspiration for sand sculptures ranged from popular culture (Team Sponge Bob took second prize in the Age 12 and Under category), local industry (the Davis Bay Tugs were recognized in the Family category), and Indigenous identity (adjoining creations celebrated Métis culture). A depiction of soaring eagles took first prize for families; Team Jeep won the Group category with a driftwood-toothed walrus; and Team Super 8 took the blue ribbon in Age 12 and Under category, for their representation of orcas frolicking in the surf.
