National Marble Day & Hunt

Eight marbles resting on a tree stump in front of the WheatonArts Museum. Two of the marbles are on top of clear glass marble stands. Each marble has its own unique design and colors.

National Marble Day & Hunt

Sunday, July 23, 2023

In celebration of National Marble Day, we are hosting another marble hunt with prizes on the grounds! Additional activities include painting with marbles workshop, marble courts for playing, and a small display of marbles from the Museum’s collection. It is free to participate in the outdoor Marble Hunt and activities on July 23. Admission tickets are needed to visit the Museum of American Glass, Folklife Center, and Artist Studios. Members are always free!

The Hunt

Are you ready to go Marble Hunting?! We will be hiding large and small Marbles throughout our campus for you to find! Here is how to play:

1. On Sunday, July 23, we will post several photos of eight (8) Large “Lost” Marbles on Facebook at 11 a.m.
2. Each photo will contain a clue for one (1) Marble’s location.
3. Three hundred (300) small decoy Marbles will be hidden to distract you! (Please do not eat the Marbles, they are not edible.)
4. If you find a large Marble, quickly bring it to the info table to collect your prize: a one-of-a-kind Glass Marble created by artist Bill Futer to keep!
5. We will mark each photo as “Found” once the Marble is turned in. So keep your eye out for changes on our Facebook page!
6. First to find, first to win! The hunt will end once all the Large Marbles are found. Smaller decoy marbles can continue to be hunted for added fun.

Photo of the child who won the 2022 marble hunt. The child is wearing a tie-dye shirt and is holding a marble up. Next to him is an adult crouching down to the child's height. Both individuals are standing in front of a colorful mural and are smiling at the camera.
Image of Bill Futer, who is wearing a tie-dye shirt, black glasses, and a spiral pendant. Bill sits in front of a torch and is directing glass towards the flame. The flame starts out blue, but turns orange as it hits the glass.

About the Artist – Bill Futer Glass

Who doesn’t like to play with fire? Bill Futer started in craft work with blacksmithing. The physical nature of manipulating metal is very satisfying, but there is a price, and he ended up injuring his elbow. He soon found flameworking as a way to fill his need for fire in 2007 by taking a beginners class at Carlisle School of Glass Art. 

Bill has been volunteering at WheatonArts for 10 years! He uses an oxy/propane torch to melt borosilicate glass rods to make fun things like pendants, marbles, and other trinkets such as frogs and elephants when he feels like experimenting. Bill has generously donated several of his glass marbles to be won as prizes for the Marble Day Hunt. Be sure to check out his work for sale in the General Store and Paperweight Shop, and visit him in the Flamework Studio on Saturdays!