Tacoma is often a very overlooked city. I’d say she’s kind of the Jan Brady of Washington State: Not as cool as big sister Seattle, and not as cute as little sister Olympia. I’ve lived in Tacoma for over a decade, and the city really has grown on me! We’re now entering the most special time of year to be a Tacoman: Monkeyshine season!
What is Monkeyshine season? It’s the time of year when Tacoma becomes the land of treasure hunting!
Over two decades ago, some glass artists got together and decided to create glass art to hide around the city for hunters to find and keep. This all occurred around Lunar New Year, and that particular year was the year of the monkey, thus monkeyshines were born! The artists have kept the tradition going for over two decades, and now community members have joined in by creating their own treasures to be found!
The official monkeyshines are of two types made by local glassmakers:
1). Orbs. These are the most sought after of the monkeyshines. They are hollow glass bulbs that are typically topped with medallion with a seal showing the animal of the year on it.
2). Medallions. These are glass medallions that have a seal showing the animal of the year.
These days, community members have joined in and leave “rogue” monkeyshines around town. Rogues can be anything. I’ve found keychains, marbles, toys, popsicle stick creations, stickers, coins, bookmarks, and red envelopes.
So basically, around the time of Lunar New Year, Tacomans start combing the streets looking for treasures to bring home.
Here are some important tips to help you in your search:
1). Monkeyshines are always found in public spaces. If you see it in someone’s yard, it’s NOT a monkeyshine for you to take. I’ve found monkeyshines in parks, at libraries, outside businesses, and near schools.
2). There is one big “drop” day when most glass monkeyshines are put out. I have ALWAYS found this to be on Lunar New Year. I’ve heard the big drop CAN be on other days, but I’ve never actually experienced it being on any day other than Lunar New Year.
3). It is 100% worth looking for monkeyshines both before and after Lunar New Year. I have found two orbs total in my life. One was found several days before Lunar New Year, the other several days after. Some Tacomans claim that they all go out on the same day. They do not. MOST, but not all, go out on the same big drop day.
4). Getting in on the fun by creating and hiding your own rogues makes Monkeyshine season so much more magical! We’ve started a tradition of making polymer clay creations that we bake to harden and then hide around our neighborhood, and it’s so very fun!
5). The best time to hunt is in the dark. This one is very much just my opinion, but I’ve had the best luck finding monkeyshines in the dark. Hiders like to get out when people won’t see them…in the dark, so looking in the dark yields the best results in my experience.
Etiquette Rules:
1). Do not chase monkeyshine hiders. Ms Monkey (the queen of monkeyshines) has stated that some of her helpers have gotten scared because of hunters following them. If you see someone out and about and suspect they’re out hiding monkeyshines, just leave them be. Once they’re gone, feel free to look where you saw them go, but do not follow them.
2). Only take one glass per year. This is to make sure that more people get to enjoy the monkeyshine fun! Some people say it should be one glass total for life. As a hard working hunter, I disagree! Every year I pour hours and hours into finding monkeyshines, often out searching in snow and cold, and always searching many days per week, and often several times per day. Despite all the effort I’ve put in, I have only one orb from my years and years of hunting, and if I find another, I’ll keep it. (I did find two orbs in the same year, so had to return one to the wild, because I am in agreement that it should be one glass per year).
3). Rogues are fair game. I choose to implement a one-rogue-per-day rule, to give others a chance to find some, but if others choose to take multiple rogues, I won’t argue against it. We do trade-up in our family though! If L finds a better rogue, we let her take the “better” one, and then re-hide the old one.
So, friends, get out and get hunting! It’s the best time of year to be a Tacoman! I’ve been home for the past 3 days, and found rogues every single one of them! The time to hunt has begun!
Adventure Fam 