UPDATE: Glow-in-Dark Glass Floats Dropped in Oregon Coast Town for 3 Days Around Halloween

Updated 10/08/22 at 3:04 PM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – There are other things that glow in Oregon coast sands than the famed bioluminescent phytoplankton.

On occasion, something comes along that you didn't even know you needed. The central Oregon coast town of Lincoln City and its tradition of glass float balls recently came up with just that: glow-in-the-dark glass floats.

Lincoln City's float faeries will be hiding 50 glow-in-the-dark glass float balls on the beaches for Halloween - October 28 to 31. On top of the regular Finders Keepers schedule, you'll find these little ethereal treasures scattered about.

Already the collective gasps on social media and cries of “I need one!” have been heard around the internet.

Explore Lincoln City, the tourism arm of the town which administrates Finders Keepers, said this is something new: “something we haven't done before.”

The glass floats are much like all the others: different patterns, different swirls, colors and concepts – except they glow in the dark.

“The Hot Shop, located in Newport, delivered these to us and we knew immediately it would be a special drop for the end of October,” the agency said in its blog.

Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection

Though they've got an otherworldly aspect to them that activates in the dark, just as with all other glass floats the Oregon coast town drops, these will be placed during daylight hours. Not during the night.

The Hot Shop is owned by central Oregon coast glass artist Jeff Hajek, who was born and raised in the area and now operating out of Newport.

Hajek told Oregon Coast Beach Connection he wouldn't reveal all the ingredients, but when he blows a glass float it's essentially the same process and contents that you get with other glass balls. He adds in colors via rods, chips or powders, and sometimes metals.

But what makes it glow? He wouldn't divulge all of that.

“The glow-in-the-dark element is a metal too,” he said. “It's just another metal that's absorbed in the process.”

The process begins with glass that's heated to a whopping 2,000 degrees, Hajek told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

“You start by getting a glob of glass out of the furnace, where it's all melted,” he said. “From there you add colors. I use different tools to make patterns, like a pair of scissors to create the twist. Then we put on the base - it's the kind of cookie-looking thing on the bottom, and then we stamp it. ”

By this time it's still a smoldering 935 degrees. From there it's put into a kiln to cool off, and that usually takes a day or so.

The glowing balls require light to trigger them – some good exposure to daylight will help. Putting them near heat can activate the glow as well. It all requires some kind of energy, Hajek said. After that, they'll glow for several hours.

Finders Keepers said floats will be found above the high tide line and below the beach embankment, so you're not going to go fishing for them in the ocean – nor in parking lots. They are “hidden” at various times during the day: it's not some mysterious early morning-only process, and not done all at once.

One of the rules is one per person, but then show it off on social media or bring it into the Lincoln City Information Center for registration.

Get the full scoop on Lincoln City's glass floats here.

Hajek's The Hot Shop in Newport also lets you blow your own glass float. (541) 760-4020.

Hotels in Lincoln City - Where to eat - Lincoln City Maps and Virtual Tours

Pelican Shores Inn

The Shearwater Inn

Inn at Wecoma

A1 Beach Rentals, Lincoln City

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted