Sand sculptures dazzle visitors to Parksville’s beach festival
Local and international artists have carved out 20 dramatic sand sculptures at Parksville Community Park, and so far, visitor numbers are running about 10 per cent higher than in 2019, when the popular festival was last staged.
Cheryl Dill, president of the Beach Festival Society, said Tuesday that when the annual Parksville Beach Festival returned last weekend after a break in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, 10,886 visitors went through the gate.
The event runs until Aug. 21, and the suggested donation at the gate is $5. Other on-site events include demonstrations, music and a market.
Themes depicted in this year’s sculptures include the stock market crash in the 1920s, aviation innovation, and love and loss.
A total of 27 sculptors arrived in Parksville to compete in the event. Some work on their own, while others carve their creations in teams.
Boosted visitor numbers “are very positive for us because it has been very challenging to relaunch the whole festival,” Dill said.
The society covers most travel expenses and provides hotel accommodation and meals to the artists. But “it was a real juggling act” to get everyone to Parksville from Vancouver, she said, citing problems such as flight delays and the temporary loss of baggage packed with necessary tools.
Sculptor bring their own implements — everything from bricklaying tools to garden and kitchen items, and some are favourites that they’ve used over the years, Dill said.
Another hiccup was the consistency of the sand — ordered from a new supplier this year, it had a more pebbly texture, Dill said.
“It should have been wellscreened before we received it, but we didn’t think we needed to ask for that because the sampling that we had done didn’t have as much pebble in it.
“But it’s a lesson learned for us that we have to be there when it is being loaded so that we can ensure that we get what we ask for, essentially.”
On opening weekend, a couple of sculptures collapsed and had to be restarted. Dill suspects the sand might have been a contributing factor.
“We need about 325 yards of sand for the whole competition, so there’s quite a bit that we require.”
Issues can also arise when the blocking is done — essentially pounding down the sand to get rid of air pockets, which can also cause crumbling.
The display includes the work of artists from countries such as the Netherlands, Japan, the U.S. and Mexico, along with Canada. This year there was an entrant from Ukraine, who arrived in B.C. three weeks ago with his family to settle on the mainland.
The first place soloist award went to American Dan Belcher for “Spirit of Aviation” and the first place doubles award went to Susanne Ruseler of the Netherlands and Sue McGrew for “Un Bear a Bull.”
Like competitors, visitors come from far and wide, as evidenced by stickers posted on a daily map showing their home countries, which have included Australia along with countries in Asia and Europe. “It was really quite astounding. We were surprised to see visitors from all over the world already,” Dill said.
The majority of visitors to the festival are typically from Vancouver Island, the rest of B.C. and Alberta.
About 175 volunteers are staging the event this year, with 25 per cent of the gate proceeds going to support community causes.
In 2019, $60,000 was donated. The total donated through the years amounts to just over $1 million.
For more information, go to parksvillebeachfest.ca.