Contests

Entries are being sought for the second-oldest sand-castle contest in the country, scheduled for Sept. 13 at Big Corona State Beach. Teams of up to eight members are welcome to participate in the 37-year-old affair, but space is limited, so early entry is encouraged. The contest will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and spectators will be able to view the castles in all their grainy grandeur until 5.

Financial planner David Pearl, 28, never thought he would make it to the final round of the National Scrabble Assn. tournament in Chicago when he started playing the game in local competitions only one year ago. But after spelling words including "obeah" for 98 points and "ixia" when he was stuck with too many vowels and winning three challenges of the word "otic," he won first place and $1,045.

American Family Publishers has agreed for the first time to compensate consumers who bought magazines thinking the purchase would improve their chances of winning the company's sweepstakes, officials said Monday. Under the deal, New York Atty. Gen. Dennis C. Vacco would distribute $750,000 from the company to about 12,000 New Yorkers--about $60 each--for subscriptions bought in what authorities consider a deceptive promotion campaign. The Jersey City, N.J.

Members of North Hollywood High School's Science Bowl team were honored Friday at City Hall for their second place finish in the national science competition last month. The five students--four seniors and a junior--beat out some 8,000 others to advance to the final round of the event, in which competitors race to answer questions about astronomy, chemistry, computer science and other subjects.

Jay Dweck traveled from Westchester, N.Y., to Laguna Hills to compete in a table tennis tournament this weekend. What Dweck discovered is that 3,000 miles is a long way to go to get beaten by someone twice his age. Dweck is 42. Such are the stories at the Meiklejohn National Seniors Table Tennis Tournament at Leisure World, where anyone who mentions pingpong better be talking about panda bears or risk getting whacked with a paddle.

The anthropology student who selected his bride in an application process and the woman who won after spending just a few hours with him are making their marriage official. David Weinlick and Elizabeth Runze, both 28, tied the knot last week at the Mall of America in Bloomington, but they had yet to apply for a marriage license to make the union legally binding. The suspense ended Wednesday when the two filled out their application.

Jesus Vega says the princess he kissed turned into a frog. The lip lock lasted 55 hours. And instead of the dreamboat he expected, Vega says, he got her ugly sister. The object of his desire was a fishing boat. In a lawsuit filed this week, Vega accuses Yamaha Motor Corp. and Los Alamitos Race Course, among others, of reneging on a promise to give him a brand-new 17-foot Century fishing boat equipped with an 80-horsepower motor, canopy and tackle box--a total package valued at $15,000.

Several Serrano Intermediate School students are among 30 winners chosen in a Metrolink poster contest promoting rail safety. Their assignment: create an illustration that promotes rail safety and warns of the dangers of trespassing on railroad crossings. The Metrolink Safety Program received more than 300 entries from middle school students in 16 districts and five counties. Serrano, the only Orange County school to have winning entries, held an assembly earlier this month to celebrate.

Only one thing is missing from Dave Weinlick's wedding plans: a bride. The 28-year-old is getting married Saturday. He has the rings, the minister, the musicians, his tuxedo and a reception all arranged. But he won't know who he'll meet at the altar until just before she walks down the aisle. Potential brides are invited to attend Weinlick's "bridal candidate mixer" the day of the ceremony, where the groom's friends will screen them and their friends will screen Weinlick.