The tail continues
The Beach Bark dog stroll is back, after a brief paws
Let’s face it, dogs and cats are terrible at job interviews, which is why so few can pay their own bills.
All kidding aside, pets don’t choose their circumstances, a fact that led to the creation of the Beach Bark Fund to help provide veterinary care for pets in need.
Help replenish the fund while enjoying time with fellow dog lovers at the next Beach Bark dog walk, beginning at the beach at Lincoln City’s Chinook Winds Casino Resort this Saturday, Oct. 12.
“We want people, for example, to feel that if they see an injured dog on the side of the road, they don’t have to worry that if they take it to a vet they will be stuck with medical bills,” said organizer Dave Price. “It’s also a fun and productive way to remember Kip.”
Kip Ward, a beloved community member, Lincoln City business owner, and city councilor known for his love of dogs, died in 2018. He started the Beach Bark in 2010 and worked hard to build funds to support local veterinarians.
While the walk is free, people can contribute to the fund by purchasing a T-shirt for $30 or buying lunch for $7 at the tail end of the event at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. The lunch is free with a T-shirt purchase.
The walk begins next to Chinook's Seafood Grill and technically goes along the beach for the roughly 34 city blocks to Kyllo’s Seafood Grill, but walkers can choose their own distance.
“It’s their choice if they want to bail out along the way or go all the way to Kyllo’s,” Price said. “Each beach access spot between Chinook Winds and the cultural center affords a traffic light crossing so that people can get across the highways safely with their dogs. They can also stash a car ahead of time where they want to end their walk, but we hope lots of people will choose to make it to the cultural center no matter how far they walk for the lunch. They can buy T-shirts there, too, if we have any left.”
After a number of years off for reasons that include the pandemic, the Bark is back and organizers, chiefly Price and Majalise Tolan, Lincoln County School District superintendent, are hoping to reestablish a regular annual event.
“Once it’s back we will get more aggressive with publicity and fund-raising,” Price said. “We want to plant a seed to get more sponsors for next year and the years ahead.”
Easy ways to support this year's event also include dropping a few bucks in the donation jars at the beginning of the walk and at the lunch, or showing up early for the walk to help direct participants.
“This year’s local sponsors are really helping too,” Price said. “Like Northwest Natural is providing the entire lunch so all of the proceeds can go into the fund and Chinook Winds is letting us use the driveway next to the Seafood Grill to set up the start line.”
The organizers do recognize that not all dog lovers are dog owners.
“I had someone say, ‘I’d love to come but I don’t have a dog,’” Price said. “You are totally welcome to come even if you don’t have a dog. It’s just a fun, social event for a good cause.”
The walk begins at 10 am next to Chinook’s Seafood Grill, located at 1501 NW 40th Place in Lincoln City. The BBQ lunch will be served from 11 am to 1 pm at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, located at 540 NE Hwy. 101. For more information, go to The Beach Bark page on Facebook.