Three-day Florence Wine, Chowder, & Glass Float Trail returns
Feb. 16, 2022 — The artful, flavorful Florence Wine & Chowder Trails is returning Feb. 18 to 20, 2022, to warm peoples’ palates on Presidents’ Day weekend.
This tasty tradition, along with its Glass Float Hunt, is a large community-wide tasting and treasure hunt with attendees from all over the west coast.
On the menu? Clam, crab, and other seafood chowders by local experts and a variety of Oregon wines direct from the wineries. Organizers expect approximately a dozen or more samples of each.
The gorgeous handblown glass floats will be on display Friday through Sunday at as many as 30 sites around town.
In addition, there will be two new components to the festivities for the 2022 event.
Saturday will feature wine tasting at several indoor venues in and around Historic Old Town from noon to 5 p.m. Commemorative wine glasses and tasting tickets are available at FlorenceChamber.com under the Events tab and will be on sale at Gazebo Park in (Corner of Bay St. & Laurel) Historic Old Town the day of the event.
Glasses are $5 and tasting tickets are $1 each.
Sunday will feature chowder tasting at restaurants and galleries in, or a centralized location near, Historic Old Town Florence from noon to 3 p.m. Chowder tasters can get a ballot Friday at the Florence Visitors Center, 290 Highway 101, and at Gazebo Park on Bay Street Saturday and Sunday to vote for the region’s best chowder.
The ballot/maps are $5 each.
Glass float searchers can get a passport and map to approximately three dozen sites to find the artful objects, “hidden” in plain sight, and get the merchant’s stamp. The more stamps a searcher collects, the
better their chances of taking home a glass float. Passports will be available online at FlorenceChamber.com and at the Visitors Center.
All the glass floats will be given away Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in Old Town.
Registrants receive a commemorative wineglass and 10 winetasting tickets for $15. The chowder ballot/glass float passport is $5.
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Bettina Hannigan asks compassionate compliance and a positive attitude toward merchants, servers, and other attendees regarding any COVID-19 requirements at individual sites.
New this year is a corresponding event at City Lights Cinemas, 1930 Highway 101, titled the “City Lights Cinemas Vino Challenge.”
City Lights invites people to enjoy a limited engagement screening of the hilarious Sundance Film Festival hit “Bottle Shock,” starring the late Alan Rickman with friends, along with film and wine themed games, and pizza from Florence’s popular 1285 Restobar.
This event begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, and the film shows at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, and $6.50 for City Lights Cinemas members. These are available at citylightscinemas.com or at the door.
Proof of COVID vaccination will be required upon arrival, and state mask mandate policies will be followed.
Also new this year is the free “A Taste of Art and Wine” presented by the Florence Regional Arts Alliance (FRAA) at the Florence Events Center on Saturday, Feb. 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The FRAA portion of the overall event will pair wine from regional wineries with a juried art show of 2D and 3D artwork with exhibits of local art and craftsmanship. Exhibits will feature demonstrations and works of art in wood;
creative art and growing ideas for the garden; fiber creations like hand woven clothing, felted and quilted items, and wearable knit and crochet items; glass works of art; jewelry in various media; pottery, paintings, and more.
“These two new ancillary events are a great example of Chamber members supporting an event and adding value to it. We encourage and commend this kind of creative thinking and hope to see more local entities becoming an integral part of the big weekend,” said Hannigan.
For more information on the event and the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, visit FlorenceChamber.com, watch their Facebook page at Florence Oregon Coast, or call 541-9973128.
For more information on A Taste of Art and Wine Festival, contact Claudia Brown, FRAA Event Chair, at 541-9021933.