Just For Kids—Waterford's Fourth of July Sandcastle Competition

For a while there, it was touch and go whether the annual Fourth of July sandcastle competition would be held at Waterford Beach this year. 

Lifeguards at the beach first organized the informal contest about a decade ago as a way to keep families entertained on the holiday. The first year, about 25 families took part in the competition.

"It grew immensely," said Recreation and Parks Program Director Kerry Sullivan.

It also became much more competitive and, frankly, less fun for many. People started complaining about other competitors who brought props to make their sand sculptures stand out in the crowd. And while it revealed that Waterford had a surprising number of talented sandcastle builders, it seemed to be instigating a whole lot of sand-kicking. 

As the complaints mounted, Sullivan began to wonder if it was worth the hassle. 

"It became more competitive and we don't want that," she said. 

The lifeguards, however, didn't want to end the tradition they'd started. So they suggested that this year, the competition be open to kids only. Sullivan thought that might be just what was needed to bring everyone back down to earth and fulfill the original intention, which was to give families something fun to do at the beach. 

As always, there are no rules. People can start building their castles anywhere on the beach at about 10 a.m. The judging will take place at 2 p.m. and the judges will be selected at random by the lifeguards. There will be no prizes, but the winning sandcastles will be rewarded with ribbons. 

Sullivan said adults are welcome to come down, play in the sand, and create the sand sculpture of their dreams. But the competition itself is only open to kids.