Sandcastle contest sculpting community in Grand Beach

This year, the top prize in the Grand Beach sandcastle contest was awarded to The Grand Sanders with their Olympics-inspired sculpture. (Source: Cindy Ceaser)

An annual Grand Beach, Man., tradition got underway this weekend, with families coming from near and far to take part in the town’s sandcastle building contest.

Eighteen teams participated in this year’s event, creating extravagant sand sculptures inspired by the Olympics, animals and even family and friends.

“It’s always a very social and uplifting, positive experience for everybody,” said Cindy Ceaser, who volunteers as one of the contest organizers.

Ceaser got involved with the event after her husband, Paul, passed away in 2015. Paul was a Winnipeg firefighter who struggled with mental health issues for several years before taking his own life.

“The first couple years were a little more difficult after Paul's passing, but as time has gone on, it's such a positive and fun event,” Ceaser said.

The competition has been running on and off since the 1980s. In the last decade, organizers started a fundraiser to go alongside the event, collecting donations for student bursaries at Walter Whyte School in Grand Marais, Man.

“Paul and I have been coming out here for years and years,” Ceaser said. “So we just thought it would be nice to have, in memory of him, some sort of scholarship or bursary that would do some good in the local community here.”

This year, they managed to raise $1,500.

“We always get tremendous support from the local communities,” said Ceaser. “It’s a pretty tight-knit community out here, everybody knows everybody.”

Prizes were awarded to the top builders. This year, The Grand Sanders took the top spot with their Olympics display, while Jeff White’s team finished second with their "Tribute to Shelly" build. Third place went to a replica of the Grand Beach train by The Wiebe’s, and the People’s Choice Award went to the beach safety officers for their turtle sculpture.

“We hope to keep it in the community for several years to come and see it grow and flourish and do well for several years to come,” Ceaser said.