(Mission Times Courier, San Diego, Ca) - The 29th Annual U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition will be held July 18 and 19 in Imperial Beach, Calif.  Benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Imperial Beach, this free, family-oriented event will start on Saturday with a street festival featuring live music, vendors and entertainment along beach-fronting Seacoast Drive. 

Kids-N-Kastles, a sandcastle-building competition for kids age 12 and under, will start at 2:00pm on Saturday.  On Sunday, starting at 9:00am, professional and amateur teams will take their creativity to the sands at the intersection of Seacoast Drive and Evergreen Avenue to compete for more than $21,000 in cash prizes in the largest sandcastle-building contest in the United States. 

The public can view these colossal creations until 4:00pm when the evening tide washes them away.  Parking is available at Mar Vista High School at 505 Elm Ave. Handicap parking is also available.  Alcoholic beverages, weapons and wheeled devices (other than strollers and wheelchairs) are prohibited.  Animals will not be permitted to this event unless they are service animals.  For more information visit www.usopensandcastle.com.