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Tourism industry made positive strides in May
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Local hotel room rates were up last month, as was the use of Island transportation systems. A3
Police mounted an all-out manhunt for Mexico’s most powerful drug lord, Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman. A7
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The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Monday, July 13, 2015 EVENT
BUILDING CASTLES The Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition has begun in Parksville
From left, David Kaube, from Parksville, and Mike Rebar work together on a sand sculpture at the Quality Foods Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition and Exhibition. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS]
Parksville event wasn’t always just for the professionals
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s the crowds streamed through the gates at the opening of the Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition on Friday, local sculptors Mike Rebar and David Kaube continued to calmly scrape sand. As the competition’s only local team, they will represent Parksville in a four-day professional sand sculpting event that has drawn competitors from as far away as Prince Edward Island, Holland and Italy. The event wasn’t always only for professional sculptors, however, as Kaube can attest. Though he has qualified for world championships, like the one held in Harrison Hot Springs, Kaube got his start in his hometown of Parksville in 1988, just six years after it began. “It was my brother’s idea,” he said. “Back then we had 10-man teams and it was just on the beach, it was in the tide area. In those days it was more of a rag-tag affair, he said, a one-day event where
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competitors threw a sculpture together phere. Kaube agreed, and said in previas fast as they could in four or five hours ous years when the event featured beer before the tide came in and washed it gardens, bands and a bikini contest, the away. sandcastles were more of a side “We had seen it a few times attraction. and thought we were just as That all changed in 1997 when good as they were. Back then the infamous “sandcastle riot” they had three classes — novice, forced the closure of the event intermediate and professional,” for two years. Kaube said. “We thought we “There was no competition were better than novice, so we but what it forced us to do, or entered intermediate and we myself, I explored. I went to won first place.” other events as a soloist,” he That winning sculpture said. depicted a barbarian riding a Kaube ended up being one Julie dragon, and since then Kaube of the locals who pushed hard Chadwick has competed every year. to get the Parksville compeReporting With a 2015 theme of heroes tition going again, arguing and villains, Kaube’s entry isn’t they could use Harrison as a a far cry from his first carving: model to make the event more He and Rebar’s sculpture, titled streamlined and professional. “The Wait for the Warrior,” has a samurai It worked, and in 2000 the sandcastles as its central focus. were moved out of the tidal zone and The sandcastle competition has changed fenced off, which allowed sculpting time a lot since those early years, Rebar said, to be stretched out to four days, vastly when it used to be more of a party atmosimproving the quality of the artwork.
The end result was a more welcoming, family-friendly event with the sculptures at centre stage, said Kaube, but the drawback is that the level of skill required to enter makes it hard for beginners. “When it got started again in 2000, the Parksville team kept going,” he said. “And the competition just got better and better. “So it was hard for local people, if they only do it once a year, to compete against some of these guys who do it for a living.” However, the changes were a success and the event is now bigger than ever, drawing yearly crowds of more than 90,000 visitors through the gates to check out the sculptures. The Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition & Exhibition is an official qualifying event for the World Championship of Sand Sculpting and runs from July 10 to August 16 down on Parksville Beach. For a full schedule of events go to www.parksvillebeachfest.ca. Julie.Chadwick@nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4238
Dragonboat Festival fills Nanaimo’s harbour
Feds look to specifics to boost slow economy
The Save-On-Foods Nanaimo Dragonboat Festival brought thousands of people to downtown Nanaimo over the weekend for the long-time fundraising event. » Pictorial, A5
The run-up to October’s federal election is happening amid talks of recession, downgrades of Canada’s growth prospects, weak oil prices and grim provincial outlooks. » Nation & World, A7
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United Church Present Presents!! ts!!
Summer Day Camps In Nanaimo @ Trinity United Church Aug.
3 -7 RD
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from 9a.m.TILL 3p.m. • Ages 5-11
6234 Spartan Rd., Nanaimo
250-390-2513
email: presbycamp2015@gmail.com