Photo: George A. Grant / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Every year, volunteers in Lincoln City hide thousands of handmade glass floats along the city’s beaches, and anyone who finds one gets to keep it. The program, known as Finders Keepers, began in the late 1990s and has become one of the town’s signature draws.
A nod to old fishing floats
The idea comes from the glass fishing floats once used on Japanese fishing nets, which sometimes washed up on Oregon beaches. Today’s floats are made by glass artists, many of them local, and each one is a small piece of art.
Good for business in the off-season
The floats go out through much of the year, including the slower months. Visitors come to walk the beaches, then stay for meals, lodging and shopping. Some make a tradition of returning every year.
Supporting artists
Glass studios in town benefit twice: they make the floats, and visitors who catch the bug often stop in to buy pieces or try blowing their own. It is a small program with a long reach into the local economy.
Rosalind Teague covers ocean science, coastal hazards and the people who shaped the central coast.
