More of Artful 'Message In A Bottle' Finds on South Oregon Coast in January

Published 12/27/22 at 5:05 AM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Bandon, Oregon) – A new south Oregon coast tradition is blooming in the scenic burgh of Bandon, as Message In A Bottle - Bandon Style returns on January 10 and going through March 15. It's not unlike the glass floats that Lincoln City drops all the time and those periodically at Gold Beach – except these are bottles. (Above courtesy photo)

They're not just any kind of bottle, either. For one, they come with messages (yup, just like that The Police song), and they are artisan-crafted little wonders of intricate designs. Even better: these arty little babies can win you prizes and get you some interesting swag that will make these light up.

Message In A Bottle works like many of the glass float promotions on the Oregon coast: “bottle faeries” leave these on the sands of Bandon. Once you find one, you'll want to take it into the Creations by the Sea shop or other participating businesses in town and collect the special lights that go inside, allowing you to make something literally luminous out of these glassy lovelies.

Each bottle hosts an upbeat and beachy message of some sort, with designs relevant to Bandon that make them true keepsakes. The one caveat is that there is one per person – per year.

On top of all this, there is a registration number at the bottom of each bottle. You use these to register the bottles with the Bandon Visitors website. Then you'll be in the pool for a chance at a random prize. You can also call them to register it at 541-347-9616, or in person at the Bandon Chamber Visitors Center, 300 Second Street SE, Old Town Bandon.

Last summer was the original installment of the event, said Bandon Chamber of Commerce president Margaret Pounder. She told Oregon Coast Beach Connection it wasn't a stand alone thing.

“This will be our second drop,” Pounder said. “We plan to have minimum two per year, hopefully more as it grows.”

Kim Bell of Creation By The Sea is the artisan behind each glass bottle, and she was integral to not just the beginning of Message In A Bottle – Bandon Style, but she's its backbone. Pounder explained its genesis.

“Our staff was brainstorming on how to have something different, but similar to the glass floats being dropped on beaches,” Pounder said. “Kim Bell, of Creations by the Sea, came up with this idea, and it was so great. We don't think anyone else on the west coast for sure does this.”

Then came a bit of dotting the i's and crossing the t's by doublechecking with other Bandon-area agencies.

“We had to be sure it was a safe and non-litter project, had to reconfirm with many departments/organizations, but we finally came up with the finder of the bottle/s would go to a sponsoring business to collect their 'fairy lights' that go in the bottle to have wonderful memories of Bandon and the adventures they had,” she said.

Indeed, these become ethereal treasures with the lights inside.

How to find them? Hit the beach, baby.

Courtesy Creations By The Sea

The Chamber's said its bottle faeries only hide them during the day and do not come out at night. They will be found somewhere near one of the public beach accesses in Bandon, above the high tideline but below the embankment.

Bandon officials want to stress be careful of the nearby environment as you search for these nuggets.

Once you find your Message In A Bottle, make sure you share a photo of it on social media such as Twitter (@BandonOregon), Instagram (@BandonOregon) or the Bandon Visitor's Facebook. Use the hashtag #BandonMIAB. MORE PHOTOS BELOW

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Above Bandon photo courtesy Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts for more

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