Money Woes End Sand Diego County Sandcastle Contest

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Funding problems are eroding a San Diego County tradition: the annual sandcastle contest.

The San Diego Union-Tribune says organizers announced Wednesday that they're ending the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition.

The three-day summer contest drew sand-carvers and tourists to Imperial Beach for 31 years — 400,000 of them last year alone.

But organizers say the event was hit hard in recent years by the economic downturn and it's lost volunteers and sponsors. Last year, the group lost $45,000 in grants that were used to pay for security.