It’s time to go on the hunt for glass balls

The sixth annual Great Northwest Glass Quest begins Friday, Feb. 13, offering 10 days of treasure hunting.

The quest began in 2010 as a way to draw tourists off of I-5 during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The event attracts thousands of individuals, families and geocachers who scour parks and businesses in the Stanwood-Camano Island area in search of plastic “clue balls” that can be redeemed for hand-blown glass balls.

These works of art look much like the green Japanese fishing-net floats that once washed up on Washington’s ocean beaches, except the glass is much more colorful and is blown by Stanwood glass artist Mark Ellinger and his son Marcus Ellinger.

Each limited-edition, stamped and signed glass float is different this year, blown with a variety of colors.

Here’s how the treasure hunt works:

Pick up an official guide book at most Stanwood and Camano Island businesses or download one from www.thegreatnwglassquest.com. The guide tells you where to look for the clue balls.

The small plastic balls are tucked among the trails at various local and state parks or mixed in with the merchandise at about 40 local businesses. New this year, the plastic clues also will be hidden at Kayak Point Regional County Park, south of Stanwood.

Look everywhere. They could be on the ground, hanging in a tree or stuck to a wall. The clues should be partially visible without the hunter having to move anything. However, sometimes the clue balls are camouflaged to make them harder to find.

If you find one, look inside to find the instructions on where to pick up your glass treasure.

OK, so you don’t find one. All quest participants can enter a drawing to win a 2015 Great Northwest Glass Quest ball by completing the entry forms on the back of the guide book. Be sure to have the host businesses stamp your entry forms while you are on the treasure hunt.

Have fun and good luck!

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.