Finders Keepers! There are a lot of different treasures to find on the beaches of Lincoln City, Oregon! With 7 ½ miles of sandy public beaches, you may find beach treasures like agates, seashells, sea glass or drift wood while combing  Lincoln City’s seashore. If you’re really, really lucky, you may even find a rare glass Japanese fishing float along this sandy coastline. In days past, these hollow glass floats were used by Japanese fishermen to float their nets. (Alas, the traditional glass float has since been replaced by aluminum, Styrofoam, and plastic fishing floats.)

Glass Fishing Floats, Northern Japan (Photo by Jgrimmer/Wikimedia Commons)

Here’s one more great thing about beachcombing in Lincoln City, Oregon: From Mid-October to Memorial Day, beachcombers might find brand-new glass art floats. These colorful floats are gorgeous pieces of hand-crafted art that have been signed and numbered by the glassblower!

On October 20th (2012), the good people of Lincoln City will kick off their annual Glass Floats Finders Keepers Event. Hidden on the beach by Lincoln City’s volunteer “Float Fairies”, this year’s first weekend opens with the placement of  these beautiful beach treasures somewhere between the sands above the tide line and below the beach embankment – never in or on the cliffs.  According to the Lincoln City Visitor’s Guide: “Finders Keepers is an annual promotion, which runs from Mid-October to Memorial Day. More than 2,000 hand-crafted glass floats are placed along the 7-1/2 miles (12 km) of public beach in Lincoln City each year, from the Roads End area to the Cutler City area, some each day if the ocean and weather permit. You find it, you keep it!”  Now there’s a collector’s item any beachcomber would be proud to display!

Lincoln City, Oregon

Greg and I have had the pleasure of visiting the beaches of Lincoln City in the winter months, during the Finders Keepers Event.  Sadly, I must report that we have not found one of these precious treasures.  But, you can always buy a souvenir blown glass float in one of Lincoln City’s wonderful art galleries. The Lincoln City Visitor Center has special monthly drawings for glass floats, too. And there’s one more way to take home that special glass float! You can actually blow your own glass float in town. In the glass art studios of Lincoln City, you can buy a piece of glass art, watch the glass artists work, or have them teach you the art of glass blowing! There’s even a Glass Art Guide brochure available online.

Check out the Oregon.com website for the history of the Lincoln City Finders Keepers Event and for more information on where and when to search for these wonderful beach treasures.

Roads End Beach, Lincoln City, Oregon

Good luck & have a great day at the beach!  ~Don’t forget to share your finds with us!~

Do you know of a beach with a unique beachcombing event? How about a kite flying festival or sand castle competition? We’d love to hear about it!