A former organizer of the sandcastle sculpting event at Parksville Community Park is thrilled to see the event is still going strong.
Kelly Ingram who coordinated the beach festival back in 2005, 2006 and 2007 was checking out the 2012 sculptures recently.
She no longer lives in Parksville but she was in town for a special occasion. Ingram got married on the July 14 weekend at the Beach Club Resort.
Ingram who now lives in Perth, Australia brought 14 Aussies up from down under for the nuptials and said her new family members can’t believe how lovely it is in Oceanside and how awesome of the sandcastle event is.
“They think the sand castles are spectacular and so do I. They have added some new things this year like the amateur category and that is a good touch,” she agreed.
Ingram said they don’t have anything like Parksville’s Beachfest in Perth and although there are incredible beaches in Australia, none are as great as Parksville’s according to Ingram.
“Parksville is so laid back … and you get a warm feeling from everyone here,” she said.
Current Beachfest Society president Cheryl Dill said despite a bit of rain over the weekend, the sand sculptures are still looking great.
After the sculptures were completed they were sprayed with a diluted mixture of environmentally-friendly white glue and water twice a day for the first week, which Dill said allows them to withstand wind and rain.
“They look great,” she said.