The sand sculpture shows will go on in both Federal Way and Port Angeles, despite a more than $48,000 shortfall in the four-week World Championship of Sand Sculpting earlier this year.
The world championship held in Federal Way in September and October — for which July’s Arts in Action sand sculpting contest in Port Angeles was a qualifying round — is not connected financially to the Port Angeles contest, said Doc Reiss of Port Angeles, an organizer for both events.
“They are two different events” with separate funding, Reiss said.
The world championship was held for the first time in Federal Way from Sept. 8 through Oct.10.
Also for the first time, Reiss, Charlie Beaulieu of Kingston and Suzanne Altamare of Daytona Beach, Fla., stepped up to the plate to run the show.
The Federal Way championship — in contrast with the annual Port Angeles contest, which had eight entries this year — featured 43 finished sculptures plus another two that were damaged by rain beyond repair, Reiss said.
Local contributions were handled by the Federal Way Community Council, Reiss said.
“We’re the rock band; they’re the venue,” he said to explain the relationship.
Reiss said the Federal Way championship was a success even though the event didn’t make enough in gate receipts and sponsorships to come close to breaking even.
The event lost $48,474, according to a Federal Way Community Council report, The News Tribune of Tacoma reported Thursday, adding that some bills are still being received.
Revenues of $264,229 fell short of expenses of $312,703, the newspaper said.
But, said Beaulieu, the event created revenue for the community.
“So when people look and say it lost money at the gate compared to cost — that isn’t necessarily the case because it generated positive income for the area,” he said.
Said Reiss: “We know that the sand sculptures brought about three-quarters of a million dollars in economic activity” — figured at a minimum of $35 spent by each person each day — “and worldwide publicity.
“We know a lot of merchants had increased traffic.
“In that aspect, it was a fantastic success,” he said.
But it rained on the sand sculpture parade, Reiss said.
In Federal Way’s rainiest September in 32 years, it rained for more than 50 percent of the days the exhibit was open, Reiss said.
The event drew 19,848 people.
“Had we had about another 20,000 people, we would have broken even for gate sales and sponsorships,” Reiss said.
So the three organizers are considering changes to next year’s Federal Way event, the main change being the time of year.
They are discussing moving it to the end of August, Reiss said.
And, Beaulieu said, merchants in Federal Way are eager to help.
Beaulieu said the local business community was supportive of the contest continuing in Federal Way — where it had moved this year from Harrison Hot Springs in British Columbia — and had stepped up to contribute.
The Federal Way Community Council on Tuesday withdrew a request for $50,000 from the Federal Way City Council, saying it had found private sources of funding, The News Tribune reported.
Rudi Alcott, a community council board member, told the newspaper that the request was pulled “because we believe we found other funding” to cover the losses.
He also said his group will ask for $23,000 in city lodging tax money next year for the 2011 sand sculpting event but won’t ask for any other city money.
The Federal Way City Council, which gave the event $23,000 in lodging tax money this year, also provided $58,000 in “seed money” for it in July.
Alcott said the group hopes to pay back the seed money.
Reiss said the Federal Way event has generated positive press for the Port Angeles Windermere classic, which for 10 years has been part of the annual Arts in Action festival and which became a qualifier for the world championship in 2009.
“An event like this does a couple of different things,” Reiss said. “It not only provides an art experience, it also, because of its stature, generates an incredible amount of publicity because it is the largest collection of sand sculptures on Earth.
“Being affiliated with anything like that is a benefit,” he said.
