To celebrate Great Trails State Day in North Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 19, the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has partnered with Seagrove Potter Crystal King to produce 30 pottery pinecones to be hidden along selected trails in Moore County that day.

“We wanted to find a unique way to maintain the popularity of the Pinecone Pathways Program, but maintain the glass pinecones in the spring like we have with our partners at Starworks,” said CVB President and CEO Phil Werz in a press release. “We approached Crystal (King) about producing a special pottery pinecone for the fall to celebrate Great Trails State Day and she created a design that allows us to showcase something from our friends in Seagrove to be part of the pinecone craze in Moore County.”

Crystal King represents 10 generations of pottery tradition in the Seagrove area. Her parents apprenticed with the late Dot and Walter Auman at the original Seagrove Pottery which influenced her love and direction into the items she produces today. The CVB envisions an annual partnership with the Seagrove Potters community where a different potter would produce fall pinecones to create a series of annual pottery collectibles.

“I’m thrilled to be part of the Pinecone Pathways program and looking forward to creating the 30 pottery pinecones that will be hidden along trails in Moore County,” said King, Seagrove Potter and owner of Crystal King Pottery, in a press release. “With these new pottery pinecones and our separate pottery pumpkins we produce each year, it will be a very busy fall.”

Great Trails State Day is observed across the state on the third Saturday in October. Trails contribute to the quality of life in communities of all sizes, making places desirable for residents, visitors and businesses. Trails are an important economic driver, serving as the backbone of North Carolina’s outdoor recreation economy, which reached $14.6 billion in 2022. 

The one-day Great Trails State Day pottery pinecone hunt is an offshoot of the very popular Pinecone Pathways program which started in the spring of 2023 to celebrate the Year of the Trail in North Carolina. Due to the overwhelming popularity of the program, the CVB decided to make the spring scavenger hunt an annual event. For the spring program the CVB has partnered with glassmakers at Starworks, located in Star, to annually produce 100 colorful glass pinecones which are hidden along trails throughout Moore County for a five-week period.

Because there will only be a limited number of pinecones to be found in the program, the CVB asks that finders only keep one of them and any additional ones found remain hidden on the trail. 

The 30 “Crystal Cones” will be a faint orange in color with a pine green leafing. Each pinecone will be individually stamped, numbered and authenticated by King. The CVB has enlisted the help of special “pinecone hiders” who will know the exact location of every pinecone. The pinecones will never be more than three to four feet off the ground and no more than three feet off any marked trail, but they may not be easy to find.

For more information about the Pinecone Pathways Program, go to: www.HomeofGolf.com/pottery-pinecones