Yoshida's 13th Annual “Sand in the City” has once again brought the beach to downtown Portland this weekend.

The annual sand sculpture contest, that also serves as a fundraiser for local nonprofit organization Kids on the Block, began on Friday morning (July 18th), at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Seventeen amateur sculpting teams, in collaboration with local architectural firms, were given 6 hours to transform hundreds of tons of sand and thousands of gallons of water into their own unique sand-based creations.

While the sculpting competition was set to end by 4:00pm on Friday, the finished products are scheduled to remain on display until late in the afternoon on Sunday, the 20th.

In addition to checking out the sandy works of art, visitors to the Square this weekend can also enjoy live music, participate in children's crafts, watch master sand sculptors give free demonstrations, and catch Kids on the Block puppet shows.

Kids on the Block provides educational programs that serve more than 70,000 children in the Portland Metro area. The non-profit organization uses the power of puppetry to help children understand and accept differences in one another and learn skills to stay safe and healthy.

For more information about Kids on the Block, visit www.powerfulpuppetry.org.