A Longtime Oregon Coast Tradition Returns to Lincoln City This Week

You can finally feel like a pirate—without the scurvy and other gross stuff.

(Cody Cha)
By Sophia June

Every year, there's a seven-month long treasure hunt along the Oregon Coast. From October to May, visitors to the coast can double as a twee version of pirates and search for glass globes in the sand.

Starting this Saturday, October 14, Lincoln City will begin "Finders Keepers." Each year, volunteers place thousands of handcrafted glass-blown floats along seven and a half miles of beach, from Roads End to Siletz Bay, above the high tide line and below the beach embankment. The treasure hunt lasts until Memorial Day 2018.

This year marks the 19th anniversary of Finders Keepers. It's a brilliant marketing event that draws tourists to the city during the rainy season, but also hearkens back to some coast history. Glass floats were originally used by Japanese ships and fisherman to float their nets. Beachcombers would then find them washed up on shores. Ships now use buoyant plastic, but there are still floats adrift in the Pacific.

If you find an official float, it will be signed and numbered. You can then register it with the city and receieve a certificate of authenticity and biography of the local artist who created the float. Information on registering floats can be found here.

Related:

Lincoln City is Totally Underrated and Chock-Full of Surprises

Oregon Coast Guide 2017

The Ultimate Bucket List of Essential Oregon Coast Experiences

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