Just Two More Weeks of Glass Float Drops on Central Oregon Coast

Published 05/11/2015

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – The warm winds of summer are approaching the Oregon coast, and this means the end of a winter-spring favorite in Lincoln City. The Finders Keepers glass float ball drops are coming to an end on Memorial Day weekend, closing on May 25. This wildly popular feature saw the release of over 3,000 hand-made glass art pieces on the beach for visitors to find and keep, and it will be back again in October for another season of treasure hunting fun.

One of the big finales happened this Mother's Day weekend, where a special drop of 100 floats hit the beaches. But luckily, just a little more is in store for glass treasure hunters.

Only two more weekends left of glass float drops, then this marks the end of the 16th season for Finders Keepers. This season began on October 18, 2014, and not matter the weather – rain, shine or snow – a special army of volunteers known as the Float Fairies made their silent trek to the beaches and delivered hand made glass floats on the beach in Lincoln City for lucky visitors to find and keep.

Between the high tide-line and embankment, glass treasures can be found along the 7.5 miles of beach in Lincoln City. In addition to the daily float drops, special drops were also done throughout the season to commemorate holidays and special occasions.

Visitors who find one of these glass art pieces are encouraged to register it by calling 800-452-2151. Once registered, they will receive a certificate of authenticity and a biography on the artist who made it. This year, 13 glass artists from around the Pacific Northwest created the glass art for Finders Keepers, the largest number in the history of the promotion.

Visitors are also encouraged to post photos of their finds on the Lincoln City Visitor and Convention Bureau (VCB) Facebook page. Throughout the season, lucky treasure hunters have posted hundreds of photos on Facebook, generating buzz and excitement about the promotion.

Finders Keepers is an annual promotion, which began in 1999, 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 brightly colored, signed and numbered glass float.

In past decades, visitors searching Oregon's beaches often found treasures from the far-east: blown glass floats in intriguing shades of green and blue. Used by Japanese fishermen to float their nets, these spheres were as small as two inches or as large as two feet. They were collected, polished, and admired; the ultimate find for any dedicated beachcomber.

These days, fishing vessels around the world use buoyant plastic, making glass floats a rare find – except in Lincoln City where these treasures can be found every October through May during the Finders Keepers season.

Event sponsors this were Ace Hardware, Chinook Winds Casino Resort, The Coho Oceanfront Lodge, Ester Lee Hotel, NW Winds, Kites, and Toys, The Liberty Inn, Looking Glass Inn, The News Guard, Pelican Shores Inn, Shearwater Inn, Willamette Dental.

For more information contact the Lincoln City Visitor & Convention Bureau at 800-452-2151 or visit www.oregoncoast.org. More about Linclon City sights below and at the Lincoln City Virtual Tour, Map.

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