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Events Center, and the casino. The circuit is expected to run hourly.

The Chamber’s Wine Trail is Saturday, February 17, from noon to 5:00 p.m. Participants can then stroll scenic Old Town to sample wines from a dozen different Oregon wineries or distilleries (21 and over only).

Exhibitors and their tasting locations include:

Distillery in their own local tasting room, Walnut Ridge Winery at Raining Cats & Dogs, and Thinking Tree Spirits at Three Rivers Casino Food Court/Sportsbook lounge.

The Chamber’s Chowder Trail is Sunday, February 18, from noon to Participants include:

Old Town’s Gazebo Park on Bay St., the Florence

Capitello Wines at Socks to a T, Gelardi Vineyard at Maple Street Bistro, Hayworth Estate Wines at Blue Heron Gallery, Iris Vineyards at Beth Rudometkin/American Pacific Mortgage, J Scott Cellars at Backstreet Gallery, La Velle Vineyards at All About Olives, Morgan Meadows Vineyard at Sticks & Stones Gallery, Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards at ICM Restaurant, Sarver Winery at Florence Regional Arts Alliance, Season Cellars at Laughing Crab Gallery, Stillwagon

PHOTOS BY FLORENCE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (ABOVE) & TONY REED (RIGHT)

Beginning Friday and continuing throughout the weekend visitors can venture around town in search of more than 34 hand-blown glass floats, hidden in plain sight, produced by local artisans. To participate, pick up a passport and map at the Chamber’s visitor center (during business hours) or Gazebo Park (Saturday and Sunday).

Entrants can tell the store’s clerk where they spotted a float and have their passport

validated and receive an entry coupon that must be filled out and turned in by 3:15 p.m. Sunday to the Chamber’s welcome table at Gazebo Park Sunday for the 3:30 p.m. drawings. The more floats a person finds, the better their chance of taking one home. Participants must be present to win.

“February in Florence is a deliciously thrilling time for locals and visitors,” says Florence Area Chamber of Commerce president/CEO Bettina Hannigan. “With the unique flavor palate of Oregon’s finest wines and chowders added to all the fun activities, and some of the year’s best sunsets, there’s color, texture, and a unique seasonality in the air. You can

taste and feel why we call this place Oregon’s Coastal Playground.”

“One of the most amazing aspects of the event is the level of volunteerism we get to make the weekend happen,” she added. “The Chamber has 2.5 full-time staff members but dozens of volunteers, including the amazing Florence Area Ambassadors, who have a blast with this event. Plus, this event drives lots of business into local shops, galleries, and restaurants all around town that wouldn’t normally receive traffic in the “off season.”

Returning this year:

The Florence Regional Arts Alliance (FRAA) will conduct their annual Taste of Art and

Wine event Saturday, February 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, February 18, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Florence Events Center 715 Quince St. Saturday’s featured wineries include Bluebird Cellars, McKenzie Crest Wines, and Summerfield Estates. Summerfield’s samples will also be featured there on Sunday.

Admission is free and features a juried art show with cash prizes up to $300 for 2-D and 3-D art, artisan booths, and demonstrations. Exhibits include works of art in wood; art for the garden; fiber creations of all kinds from handpainted silk, felted and quilted items, to knitted and crocheted items to wear; glass works of art; jewelry designs in various

media; pottery, paintings, photography and more.

The FRAA wineries include Bluebird Hill Cellars, McKenzie Crest Wines, and Summerfield Vineyards. Sarver Winery will join the FRAA lineup on Sunday. Tastings will be part of the Chamber’s wine trail and tasting tickets price. Also on Sunday, Thinking Tree Spirits and King Estate Winery will offer tastings at

PHOTOS

Explore Florence

Even though the 2024 Wine, Chowder & Glass Float Trail offers activities to keep you and your family busy, Florence certainly has more to offer. Old Town is a destination in itself, where you will find many charming stores, artistic landmarks, interesting people, and amazing things to look at. From the Port of Siuslaw to the Siuslaw River Bridge, you will find several interesting photo locations. Be sure to keep your camera ready for

winter rainbows. If you like antiques, Florence has several stores for every taste from rare to quirky items. The Siuslaw River Bridge is a working drawbridge with stair access from Old Town at its North end. Across the river west of the bridge, you can see an ever-changing landscape of sand dunes that come to the water’s edge. Driving north on Highway 101, you’ll find Sea Lion Caves. Go around about five more turns and you’ll be

looking at the Heceta Head Lighthouse. At the North and South Jetties, you will find a front row seat at one of the Oregon coast’s best sunset shows. Not to mention miles of beach to walk in both directions. If chowder isn’t your thing, Florence also features several restaurants, eateries, delis and pizza parlors.

Feel free to explore, you won’t be bored.

PHOTOS BY TONY REED

Wine, Chowder and more

SIUSLAW NEWS STAFF

The Wine, Chowder and Glass Float Trail returns to Florence for the 13th year on Feb. 16 to 18 and promises fantastic food and family fun. Florence Chamber Director Bettina Hannigan was excited about the upcoming event, which has been bringing ever-increasing numbers of visitors to Florence. One of the biggest draws to the event is a scavenger-hunt style search for glass fishing net floats. Hannigan noted that all floats are hand-blown locally and provided by Janelle Brady at River Gallery. “The Glass Float hunt is great fun for families, and they have 34 locations this year,” she said.

“What happens is that they get a map and a passport. On one side is the location of the glass floats, so they go to the store and say, ‘I spy a glass float’ and the staff gives them a raffle ticket, the more stores they visit the more tickets they get. On Sunday afternoon, down at Gazebo Park they bring their tickets down and put them in a big

barrel and we draw and give all 34 glass floats away.” Hannigan said the street will be cordoned off in block party fashion.

“They stand out in the street and we have a ton of fun, people jump up and down and scream who drove the farthest to get here and who’s been to the most of these and people just love it.,” she said. While the floats make for a fun time, the other obvious delight of the event is the wine and chowder. “We’ve had all kinds of chowder over the years,” she smiled, recalling an instance where someone asked why there were no clams in the clam chowder. I said, ‘That’s because it’s crab chowder.’”

“We have different participants in the chowder competition that we haven’t had before,” she said. “Shorewood Senior Living is going to be in it and it will be their first time. Driftwood Shores, The Market Deli and Diner is back in the saddle and will be in town for that. The Florence Event Center Is going to be an old town and Three Rivers

Casino is going to have chowder at the casino.” Hannigan said visitors can board a shuttle that will take them to the casino for chowder and back

At the end of the event, scores will be tallied from the back of the map to determine the winner of the traveling trophy, she said

“... Which has been known to increase their business by tens of thousands of dollars, literally” she said. “There are some big bragging rights there.” Due to publicity garnered through the event, one local business, Novelli’s Crab and Seafood got a visit from Food Network star Guy Fieri in 2022. Hannigan recalled that Fieri prepared his mother’s recipe of “heart attack garlic bread,” which was cooked in heavy butter and garlic. How well garlic bread would go with wine is up to the individual taster, but there will be no shortage of wine options. “We have 12 wineries this year,” she said. “They will be around town and the other wineries will be up at the Event Center for the Florence Regional Arts

Periwinkle has been with us for far too long. Let’s find this girl a home of her own. She’s still grieving the loss of her PURRson, and it’s so sad to watch.

Alliance Art Show and they will have wine tasting up there, Saturday and Sunday.” Dates of the Art Show overlap the Wine, Chowder and Glass Float Trail on Feb. 17 and 18. Hannigan said visitors will have a lot of fun and also learn new things about local business. “People will be going to stores they’ve never been in before, and they go in for whatever reason, or to look for the float and they’ll say, ‘Oh I didn’t know you sold art supplies…” Hannigan said. “This is one

Thanks for your help in finding families for every pet!

PRINCESS PERIWINKLE

of the few events that happens all over town,” she said, noting that it will include businesses all the way from Laurel Bay Gardens [north of Florence] down to the [Siuslaw River] bridge.” she said. Hannigan wanted to acknowledge and thank the many volunteers who work many hours to bring the event together.

“There’s no way we could do this without all the volunteers that make it happen, we’re a staff of two and a half people. There’s no way

we could put on an event like this without volunteers setting up and tearing down, selling the tickets, coordinating the raffle, the glass float distribution, picking up the floats, delivering the floats all over the place and manning the tents for two days and working here at the visiting center stuffing glasses with tickets,” she said The volunteers are a really big part of this event and it’s really nice to see them all come out and really have a good time together. It’s really a lot of fun.”

Periwinkle was adopted from OCHS as a kitten and then arrived back at the shelter after her owner passed away. She lived peacefully with a cat in her previous home but prefers cats that will give her the space required by a princess. She enjoys treats, playing with toys, and napping in the sun. Stop by the shelter or apply online if you’d like to add this royal feline to your family!