World famous for North America's hottest hot springs, and in-famous for the Town Council-sponsored "Sasquatch Hunt" of 1957, the BC village of Harrison Hot Springs has also become Sandcastle World Headquarters. On September 7th and 8th, over 300 competitors will gather on the beach of glacier-fed Harrison Lake, a one and a half hour drive east of Vancouver, to sculpt for $18,000 in prize money.

Rising from the ashes, or rather, the silicon and quartz of ocean beach at White Rock, BC (the World Championships' former site), the Harrison event has steadily gained respectability since it's inaugural apprearance as a demonstration event in September of 1986. In 1989, a larger purse (from local groups such as the Lion's Club) and an expanded program resulted in the largest crowd the village of 650 had ever accommodated, not to mention some spectacular works of art. A truly world-class event was evolving.

In addition to the community support, the natural elements of the beach proved to be ideally suited for the construction of colossal works of sand art. Unlike the ball-bearing grains of ocean beaches (where continuous tides "roll" the sand), the Harrison beach is composed of mountain silt grains that have retained their natural, angular shape.

Result: a well-packed block from which to sculpt spectacle, such as a world-record setting medieval castle, 17 feet, 6 and a half inches at the spire, the tallest sand sculpture built in a maximum of 100 man hours using no mechanical equipment.

Another natural blessing for the Harrison competition is the fact that the beach is not subject to the tides. The BC Open at Parksville and the US Open at Imperial Beach near San Diego, two other bona fide World Class Competitions, take place on ocean beaches - sculptor have only five to six hours before the tide swells in and clears their slate.

The 45 teams of Harrison, who have two days to toil, can create more inspired, elaborate works. To add to this, the organizers spray the finished pieces with Weather Tect 3, a sealant developed by the US Navy, which preserves the sculptures for about three weeks. Visitors who missed the competition can still see the results.

Which brings us to the question: Is sand sculpting a legitimate sport or is it a craft? It certainly has all the trappings of a sport. World Class Competitors rake it in - a California team made over $300,000 last year performing demonstrations at beaches and malls.