LIFESTYLES
WEEKEND, OCTOBER 14-15, 2017
Photo contributed by Lincoln City Visitor & Convention Bureau
An assortment of glass floats and other glass art ia hidden by Float Fairies along a seven-mile stretch of beach at Lincoln City. The Finders
Keepers program runs each year from mid-October through the end of May.
FINDERS KEEPERS
Treasure hunters scour Lincoln City beach for hidden glass floats
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
Imagine a treasure hunt
that encompasses seven miles
of sandy beaches in Lincoln
City — and if you find one of
the coveted prizes, you get to
keep it.
As part of the Finders
Keepers program, Float
Fairies place more than 3,000
glass art items along the beach
between Roads End and Siletz
Bay. The special promotion
runs from mid-October
through Memorial Day during
the coastal town’s off-season,
said Janet Hunter, marketing
administrative
technician
with the Lincoln City Visitor
& Convention Bureau.
A group of Hermiston
woman headed to the beach
this past spring to cele-
brate career and education
successes. Carol Greene, her
daughter Cassie Greene, and
Deana Cordell stayed in a
beach-front condominium,
which provided easy access
to scour the beach in search of
glass floats and other glass art
items.
“It was like a big Easter
egg hunt,” Carol said
Other than strolling along
the beach looking for the
colorful treasures, the ladies
didn’t have any set itinerary.
With a focus on relaxing,
Carol, Deana and Cassie
unwound and enjoyed each
other’s company.
In addition to looking in
the vicinity of D River State
Recreation Site, the women
talked to shopkeepers to
learn about other prime beach
access points. Although the
group came home empty-
handed, the consensus was
they had a great time.
“We had a blast ... we
laughed so hard we cried,
walked so much we hurt, ate
so much we had to roll home,
talked for hours about random
things and shopped more than
we should have,” Deana said
in summing up the trip.
Finding floats
According to the Finders
Keepers history, Japanese
fishing crews used to attach
glass floats to provide buoy-
ancy to their nets. Typically
made in shades of green and
blue, the glass spheres ranged
in size from two inches to
two feet in diameter. Due
to natural wear and tear on
the nets and stormy weather,
some floats broke free —
eventually washing ashore on
beaches.
Beachcombers
flocked
to the shores in hopes of
finding the glass spheres. As
more fishing vessels began
using buoyant plastic on nets,
finding glass floats on the
beach became a rarity.
In 1997, an Oregon glass
artist pitched the idea behind
Finders Keepers as a unique
and fun way to kick off the
new millennium, Hunter said.
He had approached several
coastal communities, but
none were interested.
“Then he came to Lincoln
City and we thought it was a
great project,” she said. “We
Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini
A beach-goer flies a kite while some tourists scour the
beach in search of glass floats and glass art created
by local artisans for the Finders Keepers program in
Lincoln City.
Contributed photo
Cassie Greene, Carol Greene and Deana Cordell take
a group selfie while hunting for glass floats along the
beach during the 2017 Finders Keepers program. The
2018 season kicks off this weekend in Lincoln City.
thought, ‘How cool would it
be to put 2,000 floats on the
beach as a way to celebrate
the new millennium.’”
The initial thought, Hunter
said, was to just do it that one
year. However, the program
proved to be extremely
popular with both artists and
tourists — continuing since
the inaugural 1999-2000
season.
Each year, there are
numbered
floats
corre-
sponding to the year. This
season, visitors have an
opportunity to find 2,018
glass floats. Those who find
numbered floats can register
them to receive a certificate of
authenticity and biographical
information about the artist
who created it.
In addition, Float Fairies
will drop upwards of 1,000
additional pieces of glass art,
including sand dollars, star-
fish, shells, crabs and coins.
Also, during the opening
and closing weekends of
the season, a jumbo float is
hidden. In addition to keeping
the oversized piece of glass
art, the finder wins a weekend
getaway package.
Hunter said potential artists
with the program must submit
examples of their work to
ensure a variety of colors and
unique patterns. The pieces
are screened for quality and
durability. The artisans are
Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini
Crushed glass is added to molten glass that was heated
to 2,100 degrees while creating a glass float at Jennifer
Sears Glass Art Studio in Lincoln City.
paid for their participation.
“What’s great about the
program is I feel like we’re
supporting the arts commu-
nity,” Hunter said. “Also, the
tourists love to find them so
they come to Lincoln City.
It’s a win-win situation.”
While in Lincoln City, the
Hermiston visitors enjoyed a
visit to Jennifer Sears Glass
Art Studio — one of many
glass art businesses and
galleries on the Oregon coast.
They watched artists work
Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini
Daniel Hogan, glass blowing artist at Jennifer Sears Glass Art Studio in Lincoln
City, shapes a glass float while Ken Tuttle of Spokane blows air through a tube
connected to it.
with customers to create their
own glass art.
“Seeing the different
colors and how it is actually
done right there was fasci-
nating to me,” Carol said.
“Watching
the
glass
blowing was pretty amazing,”
Cassie added. “But I’d defi-
nitely like to find my own
special ball to keep.”
The prices, Deana said,
seemed reasonable. In a
future Finders Keepers trip,
she’s hoping to schedule time
to create a large vase.
Also, with all the searching
for glass art, the ladies
required sustenance. Each of
them agreed that trying out
new restaurants was great fun.
And they found some gems,
including Kyllo’s Seafood &
Grill, Wildflower Grill and
the Otis Cafe.
“We got lots of walking
in that worked up a good
appetite for some delicious
seafood and bread,” Carol
said.
Hunter said that’s exactly
the purpose behind Finders
Keepers — to bring people to
Lincoln City to discover all it
has to offer.
“We don’t really need an
excuse to go to the beach but
it was a good one,” Deana
said about planning a trip
during Finders Keepers.
For more information,
contact
541-996-1274,
visitors@lincolncity.org or
visit www.oregoncoast.org/
glass-floats. Or, better yet,
head to Lincoln City to search
for yourself.
———
Contact
Community
Editor Tammy Malgesini at
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4539