The hunt is on for maritime-themed glass treasures in Gig Harbor. They're yours to keep
Sun shining a little too brightly down by the waterfront of Gig Harbor? That glint that caught your eye might not be seawater.
The Shenandoah Float Find is on — and there are eight glass orbs left to discover.
To commemorate the grand opening of their Maritime Gallery April 26, where a restored fishing vessel, the Shenandoah, will be on display for its 100-year anniversary, the Harbor History Museum is hiding one glass float somewhere in the city each week. The lucky finder gets to keep the float.
The Shenandoah is a 65-foot purse seiner built in 1925, according to the museum's website. Tony Janovich donated the fishing vessel to the museum in 2000, and volunteers led by a shipwright and preservation specialist are working to restore the boat.
The floats are hidden in spots related to the Shenandoah's history. They're not artifacts or replicas directly tied to the Shenandoah itself, but represent Gig Harbor's maritime heritage, according to Harbor History Museum marketing assistant Libby Spangler. Glass floats were traditionally used to buoy up fishing nets.
People can find out when the next float has been hidden by following the museum on social media. So far, four floats have been found, and there are 12 total, Spangler said.
Madeline Minkema, a 30-year-old graphic designer who lives in Gig Harbor, was one of the lucky finders. She found the fourth float by the Eddon Boatyard Brick House just minutes after the museum posted that it was hidden.
Disbelief was her first reaction.
'I had to call and text all my friends and family because they were all rooting for me,' she said.
She'd been researching the Shenandoah online and checking the area frequently in the days prior. An avid monkeyshine searcher for the past three years, the float is the first glass treasure she's found.
Now, it sits on her windowsill, where it can catch the sun, she said.
Jamie Flick, 42, is another person on the hunt for a float. She hasn't found one yet, but she's hopeful she'll get lucky — or at least enjoy the process along the way, she said. She's been lucky enough to find monkeyshines before, but she thinks it would be extra special to find a piece of glass in her hometown.
As soon as the museum posts that a float's been hidden, 'it's go time,' she said.
Hilltop Artists, a Tacoma-based nonprofit that supports youth through the art of glass-blowing, designed the floats. Zane Scott, one of the nonprofit's program managers, said in a phone interview that they visited the Shenandoah at the museum to pick the colors for the floats: rustic yellows and reds, with light blue and black 'to really make those colors pop,' he said.
A disc on top of the float is stamped with with the name 'Shenandoah,' an imprint of a ship's wheel and the boat's lifespan, 1925 to 2025. Scott said they used a small brass stamp designed specially by Protostamps to make the print on top of the float while the glass was hot and malleable.
Every float is unique. They created the spotty effect on the sides of the floats by rolling up little chunks of colored glass, called frit, onto each float like 'sprinkles on a cupcake,' he said.
About 30 students worked on the museum's commission, and he estimated the whole process took about a couple weeks to a month.
Asked if the organization has any floats people can purchase, he said they don't have any for sale that the museum specifically commissioned, but they'll have floats and other items like sculptures at their spring glass sale May 4 at Hilltop Heritage Middle School.
Each week, one float is hidden in a public spot in Gig Harbor, according to the museum's guidelines. The museum posts on Instagram and Facebook when the next one is hidden.
Lucky finders are asked to post a picture of the float and its location on the museum's Facebook page, or tag the museum on Instagram. You can also message the museum directly on social media or email marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org to announce your discovery.
If you've already found one, consider leaving the rest for other people to find, the guidelines say.
Once a float is found, the museum will announce it on social media and release another piece of the Shenandoah's story, related to that float's location.
On Saturday, April 26, the museum will host a grand opening event at their Maritime Gallery, with 'food, fun, and maritime music,' as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony and activities for kids, according to Spangler and the museum's announcement on Instagram. Visitors will be able to go onto the Shenandoah, lie down on the crew bunks and interact with the restored boat. Entrance is free.
There will also be a chance to win a glass float as a door prize, according to Spangler.
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