Kite fliers from across the Northwest will be gathered at the D-River State Wayside for the 33nd annual Fall Kite Festival in Lincoln City, Oregon.

A celebration of both professional and leisure kite fliers with some of the most colorful big "show kites" in the world. 

LINCOLN CITY -- Can’t find a glass float on the beach in this city’s “finder’s keepers” promotion?

Buy one at most art galleries along the Oregon Coast.

Or blow your own.

The Jennifer Sears Glass Art Studio on Hwy. 101 keeps a furnace, two kilns, and two “glory holes” (reheating ovens) going five days a week for professional glass artists and novices who want to shape molten glass into their own artwork.

“Floats are the most popular,” says glass artist Daniel Millen, 43, manager of the busy studio.

So many people want to try glass-blowing on this particular week day, that it’s standing-room-only at the studio.

Daniel Millen, partner at the Sears Glass Art Studio, explains the process of creating a glass float like the one at left.

All the chairs are filled in the waiting area/viewing gallery where many just sit and watch glass melt at temperatures of 2000F.

And onlookers are gathering at the big door that Millen has opened. It’s as large as a garage door, so lures gawkers from Hwy. 101.

LINCOLN CITY -- Modern glass floats are so popular in this central Oregon Coast city that visitors want to know more about the old stuff.

Exhibits at The Jennifer Sears Glass Art Studio on Hwy. 101 detail the history of the fishing floats, tracing their roots back to 1840s fishermen in Norway.

Floats were used to keep fishing nets in place.

Glass floats were manufactured in Japan, starting in 1910, according to the Sears exhibits.

Old green floats mean recycled glass.  Red and cranberry are most prized by antique collectors because gold was required to achieve that color in pristine glass.

By the 1920s and ‘30s, fishing floats were produced in blue, purple, yellow and orange, in addition to the usual green.

Plastic replaced glass in traditional Japanese floats in the 1950s, so antique floats became even more valuable.

Plan on attending Oregon's best Indoor Kite Festival in Lincoln City, March 26 & 27, 2011. Yes, it's true. If you have the right kite and know how to do it, you can fly kites indoors without wind---and have great fun even if the weather outside is frightful!

So everyone can enjoy this great sport, Lincoln City is bringing expert indoor kite fliers from the Northwest, to demonstrate the art and teach kids of all ages how to soar without wind.

The Indoor Kite Festival will culminate with an American Kitefliers Association Indoor Competition on Saturday. Trophies will be awarded for the top three finishers in both Master and Experienced divisions.

The Restoration Pow wow is a gathering held celebrate the signing of the law that re-established government-to-government relations between the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the federal government.

On November 18, 1977, the Siletz Indians became the first tribe in Oregon and the second in the nation to regain federal recognition. "Among our people, this date is very important to us".

It was in 1955 that the U.S. government officially terminated all tribes in the country, followed by the Western Oregon Termination Act in 1957. From that time until 1977, many Siletz tribal members worked hard to restore their tribe's name. Their successful efforts are celebrated each year with traditional music and dance.

Where & When to look for the glass floats?

From Mid-October to Memorial Day - hand-crafted glass floats being placed along the 7-1/2 miles (12 km) of public beach in Lincoln City, from the Roads End area to the Cutler City area. You find it, you keep it!

Floats may be found above the high tide line and below the beach embankment.

Floats will not be found in or on the cliffs. Please be aware of beach safety. Never turn your back on the ocean! Sneaker waves and the force of the ocean often move logs and can be unsafe. Floats are not hidden on the beaches during storms.

When you find a float, call the Visitor and Convention Bureau, 1-800-452-2151 or 541-996-1274, and register your float. They will send a Certificate of Authenticity and information about the artists who crafted your float.

What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.

In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month") have been issued each year since 1994.

Native American Heritage Month Events

November 1- 30, 2010

The trail leading to The Nature Conservancy's Cascade Head Preserve, just north of Lincoln City, got some major upgrades this summer. Three new bridges were installed to replace old wooden bridges dating from the early 1980s. The new bridges, manufactured by E.T. Techtonics, are made of fiberglass reinforced plastic and are designed to last up to 50 years.

"We are very excited to have the new bridges in place," said Debbie Pickering, Oregon Coast stewardship ecologist for The Nature Conservancy, "and grateful to the National Forest Foundation, U.S. Forest Service, and some very generous local donors for the funds to install these terrific bridges."

Some people think big. Some people think huge.

And then there's Meat Loaf.

For the past 35 years, the man born Marvin Lee Aday has been a towering monument on the musical landscape.

His legendary 1977 album Bat Out Of Hell transformed this former high school football player, nightclub bouncer and stage actor into one of the great American rock 'n' roll icons.

Th Bat Out Of Hell Album, with its staggering operatic sound and impassioned vocals, has sold more than 43 million albums worldwide - still one of the biggest-selling records ever.

Hand-crafted glass sand dollar and crab drop on Lincoln City beaches to kick off the 2010-2011 Finders Keepers promotion. 100 glass sand dollars and 100 glass crabs along with 200 glass floats will await discovery, weather and ocean permitting. October 16-17, 2010