Long Beach, Dog-O-Rama partner on dune field

Published 11:36 am Sunday, August 30, 2026

LONG BEACH — “Dune: Part 3” may not be coming to the big screen until this winter, but the new Dune Meadows field along a popular beach approach is already primed and ready to go.

Located among the swath of dune grass just south of the Bolstad beach approach, the field materialized as part of a partnership between the City of Long Beach and Dog-O-Rama, the dog-centric, three-day festival founded by Coastal Class Crepes owners David and Jessica Anderson that is celebrating its second year this month.

Long Beach officials, including Mayor Sue Svendsen and City Administrator David Glasson, reached out to the Andersons and other Dog-O-Rama organizers earlier this year as they were in the midst of planning out this year’s event that is scheduled for Sept. 18-20. They were informed that the field they had used at Culbertson Park for a bevy of competitions last year was undergoing extensive renovations and would not be completed in time for this year’s event.

David Anderson said he was unsure if holding this year’s event was still viable upon hearing that news, until city officials pitched them on their burgeoning plan.

“Mayor Sue said, ‘But we have an idea…what if we level the dunes and make a permanent Dog-O-Rama venue?’” Anderson recalled. “And, literally, we look at her and are like, ‘Are we hearing this correctly?’ Yeah, let’s do that, because the draw for people to come from out of town is the beach. And if you can have the event right on the beach or near the beach, that’s spectacular.”

‘How cool is that?’

The section of grassy dunes in question is located just several yards east of the Long Beach Boardwalk near the Bolstad beach approach. “People can watch the event from the boardwalk,” Anderson noted. “How cool is that?”

The city, Glasson said, has long sought to put that swath of land to some sort of recreational use given its ideal location. It was once viewed as the future site of a skate park and pump track.

“Honestly, we’ve looked at it for a lot of things over the years,” he added.

City councilors signed off on the development at a subsequent meeting, but the project was temporarily paused while the city carried out wetland-related obligations. The site — roughly the length and width of a football field — was smoothed and leveled out by a bulldozer earlier this month.

“It’s going to grow back completely natural, but it’ll be a lot smoother,” Anderson said of the dune grass. “In subsequent years we’ll have to come in here with a lawnmower and cut it way down, but it should be easy to cut because it’ll be flat.”

All told, Glasson said Long Beach spent about $7,500 out of its lodging fund. Maintenance costs should be minimal moving forward, he noted, estimating the city-owned site should only require mowing once a year or so.

Dog-O-Rama plans

Oman & Son Builders Supply donated about 1,500 feet of construction fencing that will be erected ahead of Dog-O-Rama 2026, and the sand will need to be wetted just prior to the weekend of the event. If Mother Nature isn’t able to come through, Anderson said the Long Beach Volunteer Fire Department has offered to come do the job itself. Organizers are hopeful the site will firm up similarly to the sand near the shoreline just a few hundred yards away, which will also allow the needed lines to be chalked or painted for the competitions.

Dune Meadows will host a handful of DiscDogathon and American Kennel Club (AKC) events at this month’s Dog-O-Rama. And ideas are aplenty for how the field can be used year-round when it’s not being used to host Dog-O-Rama competitions.

Anderson said that one of his fellow organizers, Cathie Skreen, is in the process of formally launching a licensed nonprofit AKC club for the Long Beach Peninsula.

“Cathie’s club would definitely use this place once she’s got it up and rolling,” he added. “I can see them doing a lot of stuff, and it can be used for all of the dog people on the peninsula. It’s a great place to do dog training.”

Cool activities to come

The field could also be used as a staging area for festivals and other events, as well as serve other recreational purposes down the line.

“I just think there’s a lot of things you can do with [the site],” Glasson said. “And we were kind of waiting for other people to say ‘Gee, you’ve got this great area, what about this?’ Being as flat as it is, it’s gonna work out well for Dog-O-Rama. But I think a lot of things can benefit from that area.”

“I think the public will have ideas of something that’d be neat there. And so I say bring ideas, just like on any other thing. We’re always open.”