Birch Bay celebration to feature car show, sand castles

An upcoming event in Birch Bay will feature a car show, sand sculpture contest, live music, beer garden, craft fair, food vendors and more.

The Birch Bay Rollback Weekend and Sand Sculpture Competition is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 7930 Birch Bay Drive.

Rollback Weekend and the sand sculpture competition are annual Birch Bay events that were held separately in the past. This year, however, the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce decided to combine the two events into one. “The sand castle competition has always taken place in the bay, but the park space wasn’t being used,” said Danielle Gaughen, the chamber’s event coordinator. “Having the car show in there at the same time will help utilize the park space in the best way possible.”

Last year’s car show attracted about 200 classic and high performance vehicles. This year, organizers are hoping for an even higher number. Registration costs $10 for each car per day, and can be done online at birchbaychamber.com. Participants can also register in person at the show, which is being sponsored by Vicious Autoworks.

Meanwhile, there is no cost to participate in the sand sculpture contest. Participants can register online at birchbaychamber.com or in person at the event. Each morning on Saturday and Sunday, participants can check in at the registration booth at Birch Bay Beach Park. A plot will be assigned, and building can begin at 10 a.m. depending on the tide.

A judging panel of local community members will judge each sand sculpture at 3 p.m., with an awards presentation to follow at 4:30 p.m. They will be rating overall appearance, originality, teamwork and design.

On Saturday, live music will be performed by The Replayzmentz from 1 to 3 p.m. and Last Chance from 4 to 7 p.m. On Sunday, there will be performances by Pacific Twang from 1 to 3 p.m. and Exit 266 from 3 to 5 p.m.

There will be a variety of food vendors on site. They will include C&A Wings and Things, Jeckyl and Hyde BBQ, Debbie’s Killer Kettle Korn, Kona Ice (Saturday only), Mike’s Shaved Ice (Sunday only), Paso Del Norte, Spot Hot Dogs and Bay Pops.

Along with the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 is also hosting the event. Last year, Rollback Weekend and the sand sculpture contest each attracted roughly 10,000 attendees.