It's almost that time of year again. Soon, thousands of artisan glass floats will be dropped on the beaches of the central Oregon coast town of Lincoln City. (Photo above by Bob Gibson)
Starting September 7 and going through May of 2014, more than 3,000 pieces of glass art will be placed on the beach in Lincoln City for lucky beachcombers to find and keep. Among the treasures are glass crabs and sand dollars, modern glass floats and antique Japanese glass fishing floats.
This will be the 15th anniversary of the Finders Keepers program on the central Oregon coast, so something special is planned for this year. The “Float Fairies” - as the Lincoln City Visitors Center refers to them – will leave behind larger quantities of the coveted keepsakes. One day on 12 different weekend throughout that period between September and May will mean increased chances of finding them.
Those days are: September 7, 14, 21 and 28; October 5, and November 16 and 29. December 28 and 29 will be the two days that Christmasy month. Starting out the new year of 2014 are January 19-20. Rounding out the year special drops are February 7, 17, 15 and 16, and then April 5 and 6.
The signed, numbered, and handcrafted glass floats will be hidden along the 7½ miles of public beaches of Lincoln City. When the floats are found, they become collector’s items. Bring your discovered treasure to the Visitors’ Center at 540 NE Hwy 101 in Lincoln City to receive your certificate of authenticity and a biographical sketch of the artist who created the glass float. If you are unable to walk on the beach, stop by and fill out a slip to enter to win a glass float.
Finders Keepers is an annual promotion, featuring hand-crafted glass floats being placed along the public beaches in Lincoln City, from the Roads End area to the Cutler City area. You find it, you keep it! The project began in 1997, when a local artist first thought of glass floats as an intriguing way to launch the new millennium. Lincoln City sponsored the project, hosting the inaugural season in 1999-2000. Tourists continue to come from around the country to search for their own brilliantly-colored, signed and numbered glass float.
