Students from Daniel Webster Elementary School won the 43rd Annual Leap Sandcastle Classic on Saturday at Ocean Beach, with their interpretations of two SF-style crabs playing with Nintendo game controllers.  

San Franciscans who know how to draw a line in the sand are well aware that the Saturday before Halloween is that annual sandcastle-building contest for schoolkids, this year technically known as the 43rd Annual Leap Sandcastle Classic. That event happened this weekend, and this year’s theme was the video game theme called “Level Up.” And as seen below, there were several iterations of Pac-Man, a little Minecraft here and there, and a pretty impressive dragon. (There’s a full photoset from Saturday’s contest here.)

But your winner can be seen below, lovingly hand-crafted by the students of Daniel Webster Elementary School, though they competed under the name “Team CTRL + Crab.” And their Best in Show-winning work depicted two crabs crawling up to some Nintendo-style video game controllers.

Nearly 20 groups of third- to fifth-grade students from Bay Area schools competed (though each team had some help from local architecture, engineering and construction firms). The teams got two-and-a-half hours to build their sandcastles , and as always, the event is a benefit for the nonprofit Leap Arts in Education.

“It all starts beginning at 11 am at the sound of the horn, and continues until 2:30,”  Leap manager of community engagement Jacqueline Haudek Marquez told NBC Bay Area before Saturday’s contest. “After which our judges deliberate, and give out the award for Best in Show.”

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“After the event, our students love to jump in and destroy the sandcastles right away,” she added.

Related: PHOTOS: Saturday’s SF Sandcastle Classic Saw Spooky Sand Sculptures Stand Out [SFist]

Image: Leap Arts in Education via Facebook

Oakley teen Jaren Barajas stole the show at Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, winning a half-court shooting contest against NBA star Damian Lillard, and earning himself a $100,000 prize in the process.

If you watched Sunday night’s frankly quite boring NBA All-Star Game played at the Chase Center, you are aware that there were many painfully long time-killers during the broadcast in between the actual basketball game components. But one of those time-killers turned out to be quite entertaining, and not just because we didn’t have to hear Kevin Hart during the segment.

There was a little contest sponsored by YouTube star MrBeast, called the MrBeast $100,000 Challenge. The challenge involved some random audience member going up against Milwaukee Bucks star and Oakland native Damian Lillard, and trying to shoot one successful basket from the half-court logo in the time that it took Lillard to make three such shots.    

The audience member selected was 18-year-old Oakley teen Jaren Barajas. And the Chronicle reports that Barajas did indeed hit the half court shot, and won the $100,000.

“I got surprised with these tickets yesterday, so I didn’t even know I was coming to the game, so to have this experience it’s so surreal,” Barajas told the Associated Press. “I’m so thankful.”

The full six-minute segment is above. (You’ll have to forgive MrBeast for his greeting, “How’s it going , San Fran?”) Lillard had made two of the half-court shots, and was on the verge of hitting the third that would have defeated Barajas. But the young Barajas hit the half-court shot on his eighth attempt, right as the buzzer sounded to wrap up this lengthy segment and break for a commercial.

“It was dramatic, he made it as the clock was going off,” Lillard told the AP. “I love being part of stuff like that where you can impact somebody else.”

Barajas didn’t even have good seats for the game, telling the Chronicle that he and his father’s seats were “pretty much as high as you can go.” Yet he still managed to get selected to go on court for a contest, and certainly made the most of his opportunity.

According to KTVU, Barajas is a freshman studying business at Pittsburg’s Los Medanos College, and did play high school basketball last year at Freedom High School in Oakley.

Related: Steph Curry Wins MVP Trophy In Otherwise Extremely Humdrum NBA All-Star Game [SFist]

Image: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: Jaren Barajas celebrates after making a half court shot during the 74th NBA All-Star Game at Chase Center on February 16, 2025 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

If you think there’s “something wrong” with Anh Phoong’s ubiquitous billboards, here’s your chance to design a new billboard for the Phoong Law Corp, and win as much as $500 in prize money.

On a personal level, I must admit that one time back in early 2024, I made a smart remark on Twitter about the appearance of personal injury attorney Anh Phoong on the Phoong Law Corp billboards. And boy did I get smacked back by Anh Phoong herself.

Maybe you will have better luck with your feedback on Anh Phoong’s billboards. The Chronicle reports that there is now a “design your own Anh Phoong billboard” contest to create a new billboard for the Phoong Law Corp. The first prize winner receives $500, second prize is $300, and the third place winner gets $150.

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The deadline to submit your entry is Monday, February 10, so you have a little under two weeks. Compliance with State Bar of California advertising rules could affect your odds of winning.  The Instagram link below provides some 13 headshots and templates that are recommended for use, but you can take this whatever direction you please.

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And if you happen to be a fan of Anh Phoong, we must recommend stand-up comic JR De Guzman’s “Anh Phoong Song,” performed below with Phoong herself in the audience.

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Image: Joe Kukura, SFist

Muni wants to name their tunnel-boring machines, and now is your chance to help name them! These state-of-the-art, 300-foot-long excavators will be named after historic San Francisco women. And because San Francisco is San Francisco, the selection isn't too exciting. Big Alma, Juana, Mom Chung, Firebelle Lil, and Mary Ellen are our ONLY choices.

This buffet of noted XX-chromosone carriers, though estimable, is a bit off. Preferable names are as follows:

Isadora Duncan (because dance!)
Carol Channing (if you need us to tell you why, you need to figure out where and how your life went so wrong)
Phyllis Diller (her laugh alone is reason enough)
Jeanette MacDonald (who stood there, in the ruins, and sang)
Denise Hale (she's the reason you're watching Downton Abbey)
The female cast of The Joy Luck Club (best quality heart)
Vivian and Marian Brown (you know why)

Alas.

Cast your vote at centralsubwaysf.com.

The Long Shutdown be damned. Let's get this Memorial Day weekend started!

Carnaval lights up the Mission all weekend with two days worth of live music, dancing, drumming and dance lessons, food, and more, along with the Grand Parade on Sunday morning.

On the opposite end of town, tens of thousands will celebrate the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary on Sunday with festivities taking place in several locations near the bridge, including live music and entertainment, an art exhibition, a sustainability demo, and a vintage boat display. The event culminates in a big fireworks display showcasing the bridge, the bay, and surrounding national parklands. (Note: The bridge will be closed from 9 to 10 p.m. for the show.)

Experience some yo-yo magic at the 15th Annual Bay Area Classic Yo-Yo Championship, featuring lessons by the experts and a fierce competition amongst the world's top players.

Flickr is sponsoring Photobooth's Instant Camera Photo Walk through the MIssion on Sunday. Bring your own camera, or borrow one of theirs. On Saturday, our friends over at Harvey Milk Photo Center are hosting a Harvey Milk Photo Walk through the Castro in celebration of Harvey Milk's birthday, which was on Tuesday.

Spruce up your apartment with some one of a kind deals at the monthly Treasure Island Flea on Sunday, and while you're there check out the line-up of bands performing at the event, including Dogpatch, Cosmic Machine, Paris Musique, and Youth of the Beast.

Check out some free live music on Saturday at Yerba Buena Gardens with Liturgy of Coltrane, featuring the music and life of composer/saxophonist John Coltrane, and on Sunday at Golden Gate Park as the Golden Gate Park Band performs patriotic and American music.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Rayko presents its 5th Annual Plastic Camera Show, featuring the work of local, national, and international photographers who were picked from thousands of entries, including Robert Holmgren, a past best-of-show winner. (6 to 8 p.m., Rayko Photo Center, 428 Third Street)

LITERARY Author Jarett Kobek will give a presentation of videos and images that gives a glimpse into the approach behind his new book, Atta, a psychedelic biography of lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed, including "the nature of the project, the research methodology employed, existential inquiries into terrorism, the collusion of tyranny and the literary arts, and why Norman Mailer has a bad rap." (7 p.m., City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue)

PINBALL: Another great event via FunCheapSF -- the East Bay's newest pinball venue, Vitus, hosts a once or twice monthly $5 Pinball Wizard Class & Tournament. Head over and show off your impressive skills for a chance to win all the door money. (6:50 p.m., Vitus, 201 Broadway, Oakland)