Wow!
Thank you to everyone who has come forward and expressed interest in joining the Board at our AGM September 13, 2009! (check this website in August for updates on location and time)
A big thank you to those who have brought forward their amazing ideas - IMPRESSIVE to say the least!!!!!
We look forward to continuing these conversations over the months of June, July and August with everyone.
We are absolutely astounded by the show of support for this event!
Thank you so much for everyone’s offers to help make this the friendliest community event around.
From all of us to all of you, thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
September 13, 2009 is set for the first AGM for the White Rock South Surrey Sandcastle Society.
All board positions (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, plus 5 board members) will be elected on that date for a 2 year term.
Board meetings are once a month, on a Sunday afternoon, 1 1/2 hours in length, refreshments provided. (until the board finds a more suitable date which everyone is available)
Membership is free.
The creation of a not for profit society is a start up, and all members of the community are welcome.
Decisions to be voted on at the AGM:
Where should the competition be held? White Rock, South Surrey, Surrey, or other.
What is the best tide date for the competition which does not conflict with other activities in which ever city is decided on for the competition? tide charts and dates will be provided, along with a list of activities and when they traditionally are held.
Returning from the unsuccessful attempt by the Sandcastle committee for a 2009 competition (see previous posting with decision by White Rock City Council) are 2 of the original sponsors, so far todate, and 6 of the original 2008 Sandcastle competition organizers are returning to help create a 2010 competition.
Check back in late August for time and location of AGM or leave a message on this posting if you are interested in picking up from the learning’s of the highly successful 2008 Sandcastle Competition and creating a successful “BIG FUN, HAPPY DAY” at the beach for everyone, building sandcastles and new friendships.
The director of Leisure Services, Rita Clarkson, recommended to White Rock city council that an “official sandcastle event” not be allowed for unbelievably ridiculous reasons, yes we’re talking the same reasons from two decades ago which anyone who wanted to have a sandcastle competition has been told over the last 22 years….there was a problem with “large crowds getting rowdy the evening before the event 22 years ago”.
An environmental group, the Fraser River Environmental management Program, wrote a letter to the city of White Rock last fall because they were not consulted about the sandcastle competition we held in 2008. Apparently they need to be consulted. We were not aware of their existence because they have no presence on our bay and all anyone was doing was building sandcastles, like families do every single weekend on the beach. We took every precaution we could think of to be environmentally sensitive to our ecosystem. So instead of the city playing fair, and informing us that we need to fill out an environmental assessment form with that organization, at any time during the 5 months which they had to review our application and ask any questions about our operational plan, the sponsors, the volunteer base we accumulated to guarantee all operational positions were covered, Leisure Services kept that information to themselves.
In 2008 we, a bunch of local high school students, and some local residents, put on a family focused sandcastle competition, as a partner activity during another event in White Rock last summer, at no cost to the city, which generated tens of thousands of dollars worth of free PR worldwide, attracted over 40,000 people to the beach, helped our Semiahmoo First Nations Youth Organization earn more money for their activities, provided event training,experience and a work reference to local youths, and helped the local businesses earn money; it was a lovely, successful, civilized, family focused event! We paid over $8000 out of our own pocket to make it happen, and generated over $180K “in-kind” contributions.
Unfortunately the other event we had partnered with does not have the volunteer base to cover the infrastructure of their event, let alone an additional event of this magnitude; also they forgot to thank us for volunteering ourselves and time by putting a sandcastle competition together from scratch, which attracted over 70 teams and over 40,000 people to the beach, and generated world wide PR for their event as well as our sandcastle competition.
The city of White Rock council voted to follow of Ms. Clarkson’s recommendation which is why there is no sandcastle competition in 2009 - even though we had sponsors to pay for it, and enough volunteers to operate it.
It’s such a shame for all the local businesses that are missing out on a chance to earn money during this current economic situation by having additional guests on the beach. It’s an even bigger shame for all the kids, and families, who came out last year to build sandcastles and expressed interest in coming back this year because they had a really nice, fun, relaxed time.
We want to support our local businesses and most importantly Semiahmoo First Nation Youth Organization. We want to support families spending time together outside at the beach doing something, instead of being inside watching tv.
Yes for 2010 yet another event application will be filled out with the city of White Rock, and hopefully the same companies which were interested in sponsoring the official event this year, have not become victims of this economy by next year. We won’t be putting much stock in the cities written offer to work with us to have a sandcastle competition for 2010, after they purposely withheld vital information from us, the event organizers this year, but that doesn’t mean WE have given up on the best darn sandcastle competition in north america happening on OUR shores.
For this year, 2009, the City of White Rock had decided not to allow a sandcastle competition much to the dismay of businesses, and families.
We wish everything had turned out differently because we, as youths who live here, who want to help our community, and give back something nice for all families to participate in, we are disillusioned by the elected officials and the decision by the Director of Leisure Services.
we are currently updating this site.
check back mid Feb 2009
if you have any questions about the sandcastle competition - leave a comment.
