A dugout on the edge of town, seen here in 2010, is being transformed into a sandy beach. (Google Street View )Waldheim is about 50 kilometres north of Saskatoon, but far from any major bodies of water.

Warm summer days, suntan oil, and sand castles are on the minds of people in Waldheim, Sask. these days — they're building a beach.

The town of 1,035 residents located 50 kilometres north of Saskatoon is far from any lakes, but it does have a dugout.

Some donated sand has been trucked in and a variety of preparations are underway.

"There's a lot of people excited, especially the children," said Greg Wiens, who came up with the idea. "[They're] saying, 'Hey, look, we've got a beach. We can go hang out and go swimming.'"

The town is adding a fountain to aerate the water, and some chemicals to make it safe for swimming.

They also have to clear some cattails out of the way.