IMPERIAL BEACH Even without the massive, multi-ton intricate sculptures that Imperial Beach made famous for years, the allure of sandcastles remains as constant as the tide. Thousands of people flocked to the most southwesterly corner of the continental United States on Saturday for the annual Sun and Sea Festival, where food and music were in abundance but persistent sewage contamination helped derail the usual master sandcastle builders competition. The event did feature one giant sculpture — 120 tons of sand shaped into an ’80s-themed replica cassette player surrounded by Pac-Man machines and goblins at the foot of Portwood Pier.
But the competition part of the day was instead focused on a children’s sandcastle-building contest that attracted 10 teams from all over the region. The winners were a trio of brothers whose parents and grandparents took home the honors decades ago. “This is a third-generation win,” said Phil Benham, a pilot who grew up blocks away from the pier and took home a few trophies himself in his youth.
“We are probably four- to five-time winners in the early sandcastle contests, when this event would bring up to 50,000 people to Imperial Beach,” he said. The boys “are from a long legacy of sandcastle builders.” The winning entry was dubbed “Brothers Club,” a reference to the Parry siblings: Julian, 10; August, 8; and Leo, 5.
Julian said he came up with the idea of the Mount Vesuvius-style mountain looming above a castle featuring a.