Monster trucks will roll into Long Beach this weekend — and it should be an illuminating experience.
The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center will host “Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire” on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3-4, and, as the event’s name suggests, the show will take place in a darkened arena, with luminous monster trucks bringing the action to life.
Here is everything you need to know:
Show highlights
Featured trucks will include Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, HW 5-Alarm, Bone Shaker, Bigfoot and Skelesaurus. Rhinomite, the newest truck on the tour, will also make its Long Beach debut. There will also be FMX riders performing high-flying stunts — and a fire-breathing, car-crushing robot dinosaur.
Driver spotlight: Mike Menter
Mike Menter, right, with his son, Mason, of Rigby, Idaho, will drive Tiger Shark at “Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire” this weekend. (Courtesy photo)
This week, I spoke with Tiger Shark driver Mike Menter of Rigby, Idaho. He has performed with the Hot Wheels tour since 2024, alongside his crew chief and 16-year-old son, Mason Menter. They travel 30 weeks a year, and the younger Menter is homeschooled. Back in Idaho, they race remote-control speedboats that can reach 80 mph on a secret lake. The elder Menter built, maintains and drives the monster truck.
Free Friday preview
Tiger Shark will be parked outside the Long Beach Arena from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, so fans can take photos with the truck and meet Mike and Mason Menter. There will be no charge.
Pre-show and VIP experiences
The pre-show party will begin on the Long Beach Arena floor 2.5 hours before every performance. Families can see the trucks up close, meet drivers and performers, collect autographs, and receive an exclusive autograph card. Passes are limited, however.
There are three VIP packages available: Full Throttle, Pedal to the Metal and Start Your Engine. The top package includes front-row seats, a backstage tour, and meet-and-greets with a driver and an FMX rider.
The VIP Backstage Experience offers a behind-the-scenes look before the smashing begins. Ticket holders can see the trucks up close, receive official Hot Wheels swag and attend the pre-show party.
For tickets and more information, go to HotWheelsMonsterTrucksLive.com.
Bungalow Kitchen’s reopening
Mayor Rex Richardson, left, speaks during the reopening celebration for Bungalow Kitchen, in the 2nd & PCH shopping center, on Sept. 24. Next to him are Bungalow Kitchen owner Brent Bolthouse, middle, and chef Eric Samaniego. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
In non-monster truck-related news, Bungalow Kitchen, in the 2nd & PCH shopping center, hosted a reopening celebration on Sept. 24, raising more than $9,000 for groups focused on homeless services, relocation assistance, food programs, youth support and emergency needs. The event was open to members of the public that donated to the Mayor’s Fund.
“Third time in the charm,” owner Brent Bolthouse told the crowd about the reopening.
The large space, with a second-story view of Alamitos Bay Marina, has undergone several iterations — and this one may be the best yet.
Chef Eric Samaniego is a fine‑dining-trained, French‑technique chef, and his staff prepared a variety of small bites for the opening party.
Samaniego had previously shared with me that he “would give a million dollars” just to taste the fried chicken that his late father used to make. Samaniego served his version of that chicken at the fundraiser and I believe his father would be proud. Originally on the appetizer menu, the chicken moved to the entrée menu this week.
Reservations are available vis Open Table.
Caffeine fix
Coffee Drunk on Second Street, in Belmont Shore, celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 24 — and there was a line around the block. The coffee shop offered free totes to those wo visited early on that first official day.
I go just to check out the drink names like – Friends with Benefits, Instigator or Phat Americano.
For more information, go to shop.getcoffeedrunk.com.
Coffee Drunk on Second Street, in Belmont Shore, celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 24. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)