What: 10th North American Sea Glass Festival
Organizer: North American Sea Glass Association
When: Aug. 29 & 30, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Where: Roland E. Powell Convention Center , Ocean City, Md.
Calling all sea glass lovers!
The 10th North American Sea Glass Festival is coming to Ocean City with hopes of establishing “a community of informed collectors and sellers of sea glass that are educated on its characteristics and significance.”
NASGA says “expect the unexpected” at this year’s festival in the resort town. The event will showcase a mix of collectors, artists, novices, authors, exhibitors and speakers.
According to NASGA, this eclectic group of people will “come together to celebrate the mysterious fragments of glass and pottery that wash up on shorelines around the world—fragments appreciated for their individual beauty and clues to their origins.”
The festival will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. In 2006, the group held its first gathering in which 200 beachcombers came together in Rockport, Mass., to share love of seaglass. According to organizers, last year’s festival in Cape May, N.J., drew a crowd of 5,000 people. NASGA says this reflects the growing interest in these rapidly diminishing artifacts.
Event organizers are naming their featured event the Shard of the Year Contest. This contest is said to draw hundreds of contenders for the $1,000 first prize. The contest will be held on Sunday at the festival. There will be additional winners in up to 10 possible subcategories, including Runner-up, Pottery/Ceramics, Whimsical/Toys, Bottle Stoppers, Most Unusual, Historical, Art Glass, Marbles, Buttons and Figural.
Event organizers say the prizes are great but most of all, private collectors, vendors and specialists come to the festival to share their passion for sea glass.
NASGA donates a portion of the North American Sea Glass Festival to benefit regional and national efforts for shoreline conservation, preservation and beautification.
(Photo: Sea Glass Association)
North American Sea Glass Association
The North American Sea Glass Association started with a group of people that had a primary goal. This group of people included professional sea glass collectors, authors, artisans and retailers. The primary goal: ‘to establish a community of informed collectors and sellers of sea glass that are educated on the characteristics and significance of genuine sea glass.’
NASGA has spent its time establishing guidelines to differentiate genuine from fake sea glass while offering education on the topic.
(Photo: Seaglass Association)
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