IB Sun & Sea Festival

Home of the Original Imperial Beach Sandcastle Competition

Seventh Annual Sun & Sea Festival’s Sand Castle Competition Winners

The seventh annual Sun & Sea Festival was a rousing success. Besides being the best sandcastle carving competition for adults and kids in San Diego County, the family-friendly event featured a parade, live entertainment and a kid’s zone that kept visitors entertained all day at the City of Imperial Beach’s largest annual event. The winning sculptors are:

Masters Class: Professional Sand Carvers

First Place: Sand Castle Man – SOS

Second Place: Sand Squirrels – Child’s Play

Third Place: I.B. Posse – See the Difference – Sea of Indifference

Open Class: Family and Business Sand Carvers

First Place: Sculpintures – I.B. Shiny

Second Place: I.B. Posse Family – Tides That Bind

Third Place: Guardians of the Sand Lot – Drogon

People’s Choice Winner

Sculpintures – I.B. Shiny

Kids ‘N Kastles Winners For Best Sculpture/Sand Castle Theme

First Place: Brace For It 

Second Place: Girl Power

Third Place: Lone Wolf 

Kids ‘N Kastles Winners For Creatures of the Sea Theme

First Place: KCT Girls

Second Place: Little Mermaids

Third Place: The Sea Stars    

A Note Of Thanks From Shirley Nakawatase And Leah Goodwin

As co-chairs of the Sixth Annual Sun & Sea Festival, we wanted to take a moment and thank the many people who helped in the effort to bring this free, family, fun event every year to Imperial Beach. Without our sponsors, we could not make this event happen. This year’s presenting sponsors were: Port of San Diego, City of Imperial Beach, County of San Diego, Tillamook Cheese and California American Water. Our Sand Castle Enthusiast Sponsors were: Cox Communications and SDG&E. The Parade sponsor was North Island Credit Union. The Stage Sponsor was Boca Rio Ink. The Friends of Sun & Sea sponsors were: Grocery Outlet Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce, IB Resort, Pier South, AT&T, Mike Hess Brewing, EDCO, Imperial Beach Brigantine, Power Crunch Bars, Home Depot, El Tapatio and the Eagle & Times.

The vendors and community supporters were many but our thanks go to: Bud and Vonda Webb, Nakawatase & Kaminsky, CPA’s, Pacific Realty, Nathaniel Adams, Hector Flores, Sunshine Mermaids, Inc, Charles Miner, Gilbert Murphy, Carl Verbanic, Georgette Cash, Tara Willis, Henna San Diego, Tramy Tran, James Martinez, Jin Yao, Nathaniel Adams, Martha Elena Lopez, Rani Benskin, Vicki Primavera, Susan Twohy, Kyle Westover, Mark Groveman, Christopher Noxon, Monica Rodriguez, Yvonne Sandza, Victor Ledesma, Julia Ledesma, Peter Hengst, Anabel Martinez, Tho Nguyen, Vanessa Moran, Plum Blossom Apothecary, Shi Chaoying, Lisa Kolar, Deidre Puaoi, Michelle Burkholder, Cindy Dykstra, CML SD LLC, Grim Ventures, Jasper and Hide, Adrian Vargas, Tropical Wood Expressions, Enrique Devine, J Alisha Wernig, Raunaq Rajpal, Jessica Valdez, Rameeza Mohamed Haniffa, Mallory Quattrocchi, Jason Haller, Armando Lopez, Sharmane Estolano, Martin Brandt, Patcharin Kurakanok, Robert Miller, Bill Sexton, Michael Schneider, Maritza Garcia, Charles Garrison, Dorothy McDonald, Massah Chatton, Larisa Medina, Emiliano Perez, Shaun Ornelas, Dina Torres, Melody Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning, Larisa Medina, Ifteay Moteay, CMaxX 8 Corp, Nichoel Adams Dean, Massah Chatton, Rodolfo Armienta, Jessica van der Stad, Gretchen Palafox, Born Fresh Daily Packaging, LLC., Lori Bradburn and Jose Calderon.

The main event of this amazing festival are the sand castle artists and their teams. To the Master San Carvers: San Diego Sand Castles, Sand Castle Man, Sandy Tales, IB Posse, Sandstorm, Sand Squirrels, Chris Crosson and the Sandy Collaborators – we thank you! Thanks to the Family/Open teams of Sculpintures, IB Posse Family, Guardians of the Sandlot, Called to Sand and Coastal Carvers. And a huge thank you to the Imperial Beach Optimist Club who sponsor the Kids n’ Kastles competition which featured 20 teams this year. Congratulations to everyone who participated. You made the event a special day for so many people.

Finally, we would like to thank our fellow committee members; Angel Stancer, Anne Pilgrim (and her hundreds of volunteers), Cody Callarman, Eric Syverson, Athena Hohenberg, Karl Bradley and his team of judges, Mike Simms, Mariko Nakawatase, Nellie Hazel and Tessa Lero. Thanks to event producer: San Diego Event Professionals, and publicity/media Julie Walke and website Abel Rodriguez. Thanks also to everyone who participated in the parade, Paul Spear at Dig IB and all the City staff that helped us out.

If we have missed mentioning you in person, know that we thank you from our hearts!

P.S. See you next year on July 18 when our parade theme will be Beach Blanket Bingo!

FREE SAND SCULPTING WORKSHOPS

Learn how to create professional sandcastles

Free Sandcastle Building Workshops at 2 pm Sunday, June 23 and Sunday, July 7. Sign up at: https://sunandseafestival.com/sandcastle-workshops/ Sign up and come to the beach south of Carnation Ave. (between the jetties). Groups and families welcome. Show up to learn how to build GREAT sandcastles from the professionals in IB Posse. Bring a shovel, two 5-gal. buckets, and homemade carving tools such as spoons, knives, small garden shovels, putty knives, masonry trowels, clay carving tools. Don’t forget sunscreen, a beach towel and drinking water.

Sandcastle Workshops

2019 SANDCASTLE BALL TO BE CANCELED

The long running Sandcastle Ball once dubbed as “IB’s social event of the year,” will not take place this year as the Boys & Girls Club of Imperial Beach have refocused their time in other directions. According to Shirley Nakawatase, Sun & Sea festival Co-Chair, the annual Friday night celebration will not be replaced by any other event, “We love the Sandcastle Ball and even though it won’t take place this year, we are determined to make sure that we plan for a 2020 Sandcastle Ball; even if that means partnering with other IB businesses or organizations to get it done. Anyone interested in volunteering to help with the 2020 event, please reach out to the Sun and Sea Committee after this year’s Sun & Sea Festival.

ENTERTAINMENT LINE-UP ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2019 SUN & SEA FESTIVAL

The entertainment line-up will perform on the main stage located at Portwood Pier Plaza on Saturday, July 13.

10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Luvalot Band
Will Lee Brown, lead guitar and singer says that Wilovalot (pronounced Will-Love-A-Lot) comes from his father’s first name Will, who he loves and admires. Brown say, “The word ‘love’ is just about the most important word known to mankind, and to put love into action, hence, A-Lot is the bridge.” Wills musical career spans back as far as the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and influenced by Wes Montgomery, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Grover Washington. He has shared the stage with Tower of Power, the late Rick James, AWB, Phil Perry, Paul Taylor. The band includes Brown, Eric “Johnny Rhinestone” Koch on bass and vocal, Lyndon “Irie” Wimpie on drums and vocal, and Mike Hankins on keyboard. Learn more about the band here.

11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Tyler Boone
Tyler Boone grew up in the Low country of Charleston, SC first becoming enamored with the small club rock scene and made his way to headlining major music venues, gaining traction on the radio waves all across the country & over 13 countries which has led him to open for some incredible talent and becoming an official Taylor Guitars endorsed artist. Boone’s first and critically acclaimed single “Short Skirt, Bare Knees” was considered for a rock nomination for the 2018 Grammy’s. Boone has opened for Grammy award winning artist Sheryl Crow, The Avett Brothers, Christopher Cross, Hootie and the Blowfish, Old Crow Medicine Show, Platinum selling artist Edwin McCain, Zach Myers of Shinedown, The Revivalists, The Marcus King Band, Dr. John, and American Idol Winner David Cook & Lee DeWyze among others. His latest EP “Jealousy” debuted on 1.25.19. The single “Moving On” (feat. Finnegan Bell) went to radio last September & his next single “Jealousy” debuted on radio on 5.24.19. He is releasing a brand new Americana single “Make It Right” on 7.12.19 a first release on his own label Artist Formula Records. Learn more about Tyler here or on his Facebook page here.

1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. – Kimba Light
Kimba Light is a tropical, high-energy, dance-provoking Afro-Cuban band. Fusing salsa, timba, merengue, bachata and reggae nation, with a touch of hip hop and funk thrown in to create the funkiest Latin band around. Based out of San Diego, the three-year-old band brings its unique sound and diversity to restaurants, bars, clubs, private parties, and corporate events. Members include Yorly Quintero (piano and vocals) from Cienfuegos, Cuba, Daniel Feldman (conga/percussion) and Rene Campos (trombone) from Havana, Cuba, and native Californians Michael Atesalp (drums) and Fernando Garcia (bass and vocals). Learn more about the band here or on their face book page here.

2: 30 to 3:45 Christie Huff
Christie Huff is a country singer/songwriter who brings a pop touch to her soulful sound attributing her country background to growing up in Arizona and trips to Nashville to co-write with other country songwriters. She has recorded two CDs in Nashville, and is working on a new EP in LA. Well-known in LA and OC, Christie performs her original songs both acoustically and with her band Hotel Café and The Viper Room in LA. She opened for Chris Bandi at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Toby Keith at Coastal Country Jam in Huntington Beach California, and just got off a month long tour playing at CountryFest to open up for Jason Aldean, and at the Boots In The Park festival to open up for Billy Currington. Her single The Way You Move, is a combination of the current pulse of Nashville with elements of hip hop, pop, and a sultry melody is a Top 10 finisher in Popstar Magazine’s Rising Stars Top 40. Her second single, Dream Catcher, released in February, is from her upcoming EP. She plans to release a new single every 2 months in 2019. Her first single, Urban Love was released 1.25.19 making the New Music Nashville Spotify Playlist for 4 weeks and is currently on the Wild Country Spotify Playlist. Urban Love received over 50,000 streams on Spotify within one month. Learn more about Christie here or on her Facebook page here.

4:30 to 6 p.m. – Bayou Brothers
The Bayou Brothers started in 1995 with a shared love of Cajun and Zydeco music by founder John Chambers, on accordion and keyboards, and Ric Lee, laying down Zydeco and Cajun dance grooves on the drums. Throughout the last 15 years, they have been playing their music at festivals and concerts venues all over the southwest and are well known for their rowdy shows, bluesy Zydeco that drives the band and fans Zydeco dance crazy. Adding to the Bayou Brothers sound is sax and percussionist Thom Pod. Learn more about the Bayou Brothers here.

Festival organizers are also grateful for the Sun & Sea Major sponsors: Tillamook, CAL AM Water, County of San Diego, City of Imperial Beach and Port of San Diego.

KIDS N’ KASTLES TEAM REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST SANDCASTLE BUILDING CONTEST ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS SPONSORED BY THE OPTIMIST CLUB OF IMPERIAL BEACH

The Kids N’ Kastles sandcastle building contest, sponsored by the Optimist Club of Imperial Beach, is back as part of the Sun and Sea Festival on Saturday, July 13, 2019. The Optimist club sponsors 20 plus team plots (five kids per team) for kids from 5-12-years old. This year’s theme is “Under the Sea”. Please click here to register online.

On the day of the event, teams will check-in at 10 a.m. at the Kids N Kastles booth located near the Dolphin Statue in the Kids Zone area at Dune’s Park. Each teams will be assigned a building plot and each participant will receive a free gift bag. There is a donation fee of $10 per team that will be collected on the day of the event.  All funds go to the Optimist Club of Imperial Beach Youth Fund.

The competition starts at Noon and ends at 1:30 p.m. Teams are encouraged to incorporate the “Under The Sea” theme into their creations. There are two categories: Best Sculpture/Sandcastle and Creatures of the Sea. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and thirdplace finishers. T-shirts will be given for participation along with an opportunity for uploaded digital photo.

For more information or to help volunteer go to http://sunandseafestival.com/ with Kids N’ Kastles information located under the tab How can I participate?

Kids N’ Kastles Event Snapshot

10am – 11:30am – Team check-in at Dolphin Statue: plot assignment, gift bags, $10 donation entry fee.

Noon – 1:30pm – Sand castle building contest

2pm – Teams and families report to Dunes Park Stage for awards ceremony

Volunteers Needed for the Sun & Sea Festival Weekend July 12 & 13

Many Opportunities Available to Help IB’s Biggest Annual Event

It takes a village to put on Imperial Beach’s largest annual event. The organizing committee is looking for volunteers of all ages and sizes to help during the festival weekend. The Sun and Sea Festival will be held on Saturday July 13 but volunteers will also be needed on Friday, July 12 as well. Daytime and nighttime shifts are available. You can sign up for a 3-hour or a 4-hour shift. Or you can sign up for the entire event day from 7 a.m. through 6 p.m. and see how the festival works from behind-the-scenes. Still interested?

Sign Up two ways:

If you have any specific questions about volunteering, please call or text Anne at 619-261-4628.

SUN & SEA FESTIVAL PARADE THEME: UNDER THE SEA 

SUN & SEA FESTIVAL PARADE THEME: UNDER THE SEA

Parade Registration is Now Open Until June 28

As of May 6, website registration is open for the Sun & Sea Parade groups and families are joining up to march at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 13. Register on the festival web site: http://sunandseafestival.com/parade-entry-application/ Or download the PDF form, print the application and fax to 619-699-1995 or email to Parade@SunandSeaFestival.com. 

This year’s parade theme: Under The Sea. Entrants should dress to impress and decorate their entries as all entries will be judged for overall themed dress, decorations and decorum for First through Third Places in three categories.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  1. Sea Creatures – All things sea life. Schools of fish, fanciful fins, or mythology of the sea. Floats in this category will be judged on most creative myths, mermaids, legends and beyond.
  • Surf Vibes – Ride the waves off the big coast with the most south-westerly city in America. Floats in this category will be judged on the best surf designs.
  • Crystal Clean Waves – We love a clean Imperial Beach. Help protect our waves, oceans and beaches. Floats in this category will be judged on the best use of recycled materials.
  • People’s Choice – A winner will be selected from one of the three categories above. Watch for instructions on how you, the public, can vote. 

Parade begins at 9 a.m. sharp on July 13; check-in begins at 7:00 a.m. in the morning at the Mar Vista High School athletic field. Awards will be presented at 11 a.m. at Pier Plaza.  Participants are asked to “Go Green”. By not giving out printed materials along the route.

All entries will be confirmed within 24-hours by email or phone. Registration is open until 5 p.m. on June 28, 2019. Any other parade questions should be addressed to Parade@SunandSeaFestival.com or by calling Tessa Lero at (619) 699-1991.

VENDORS AND ARTISANS SOUGHT FOR THE SUN & SEA FESTIVAL

Early Bird Pricing still in effect till May 7

Sun & Sea Festival organizers are seeking vendors and artisans to sell items at the one-day, family-friendly and no alcohol event. The vendor area at the Sun & Sea Festival will be Pier Plaza and the adjacent beach and along Seacoast Drive from Pier Plaza to Dunes Park.

Vendors can apply online at the Sun & Sea Festival website. Submit application and payment online or print the PDF document and mail it through the U.S. Post Office. Vendors with child-specific goods, please let us know as we have a kids zone area.

“We are seeking quality vendors who are a good fit for our beach town,” said Shirley Nakawatase, event co-chair. And we have worked to provide a one-stop, easy online application where vendors can apply and pay for their booths.” Local Imperial Beach Businesses receive a 25% discount off the appropriate fee based on type of vendor booth and date of application.

Click here to begin the vendors application process

Open food booths or food trucks: Those serving dishes that are authentic and nutritious quality food or international flavors are a good fit. Organizers prefer healthy, family alternatives but there will be a balance of vendors to avoid duplication. The one-day fees are as follows: “Early Bird” fee from now until May 7 is $680; “Regular Fees” from May 8 through June 23 is $725; and “Late Entry” fee from June 24 through July 10 is $800.

Pre-packaged food vendors: “Early Bird” fee from now until May 7 is $555; “Regular Fees” from May 8 through June 23 is $600; and “Late Entry” fee from June 24 through July 10 is $675.

Commercial Goods & Services: “Early Bird” fee from now until May 7 is $555; “Regular Fees” from May 8 through June 23 is $600; and “Late Entry” fee from June 24 through July 10 is $650.

Handmade Artisans: Artists who make their own crafts produce one-of-a-kind items are attractive to festival organizers. The one-day fees are as follows: “Early Bird” fee from now until May 7 is $160; “Regular Fees” from May 8 through June 23 is $160; and “Late Entry” fee from June 24 through July 10 is $200.

Non-Profit Organizations: There will be a limited number of non-profit booths available with the final decision made by the Sun & Sea Festival committee. The one-day fee is $100. Please apply with the regular vendor application.

Jersey Mike’s Spearhead Fundraiser for Sun & Sea Festival

20% of Proceeds Donated Every Monday in May

Local sponsor Jersey Mike’s is supporting the Sun & Sea Festival throughout the month of May by donating 20-percent of proceeds every Monday. Plan to stop in on Monday May 6, May 13, May 20 and May 27 and you can help support the efforts of Imperial Beach’s largest, free, family event.

Order food at Jersey Mike’s at 801 Palm Avenue between the hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. each Monday to support a good cause, the Sun & Sea Festival. Order online at jerseymikes.com