Syracuse, NY (July 11, 2018) - Please join Visit Syracuse and The Corning Museum of Glass for a media preview of GlassBarge on the morning of Friday, July 13 at Paper Mill Island. Guests will be invited aboard the 30’ x 80’ canal barge equipped with the Museum’s patented all-electric glassmaking equipment.
- Date: Friday, July 13, 2018
- Time:
- 10 a.m. - Networking/Breakfast
- 11 a.m. - Remarks followed by a hot glass ‘ribbon’ cutting and a glassblowing demonstration, while hearing about the intertwined story of glassmaking and the Erie Canal in New York State.
- Location: Paper Mill Island (near Amphitheater)
- Speakers:
- Visit Syracuse – Carol Eaton, Vice President of Marketing
- Erie Canal Museum – Natalie Stetson, Executive Director
- Onondaga County - Julie Cerio, Director of Economic Development
Guests will also have the opportunity to tour the Lois McClure, a historic schooner from the collection of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Through Sunday, July 15, CMoG will offer free, public, glassblowing demonstrations onboard GlassBarge, as part of a four-month tour across the waterways of New York State.
About GlassBarge
The GlassBarge tour commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company—now known as Corning Incorporated—relocating via the New York Waterways by canal barge to Corning, which would become a center for important artistic and technological innovations in glass. In addition to sharing the story of glassmaking in Corning, the recreation of the 1868 voyage emphasizes the continued role of New York’s waterways in shaping the state’s industry, culture, and community. Following its debut in New York City, GlassBarge will then embark on a four-month tour, traveling north on the Hudson River, and westward along the Erie Canal. In total, the GlassBarge will travel to nearly 30 cities and town, offering glassblowing demonstrations at each port. GlassBarge is the 2018 signature event for the statewide celebration of the Erie Canal Bicentennial (2017-2025). A flotilla of historic ships from the collections of the South Street Seaport Museum and Lake Champlain Maritime Museum will accompany GlassBarge throughout its journey.
GlassBarge offers free public glassmaking demonstrations at each scheduled stop during its four-month tour, which launched on May 17 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. It will then travel north on the Hudson, then westward along the Erie Canal before making its way to the Finger Lakes. It will stop at ports in Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Albany, Little Falls, Sylvan Beach, Baldwinsville, Fairport, Lockport, Buffalo, Medina, Brockport, Pittsford, Seneca Falls, and Watkins Glen. A ceremonial last leg of the trip will take place by land, concluding in Corning with a community-wide celebration on September 22.
Tickets
The Corning Museum of Glass will offer glassblowing demonstrations from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily, with the last show starting at 5 p.m. Demonstrations start every 45 minutes. Due to limited seating aboard the GlassBarge, reservations are strongly encouraged, and can be made at www.cmog.org/glassbarge. If the time slot appears to be sold out, guests are still encouraged to come and get on a waiting list for the show of their choice.
Tours of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s Lois McClure are first come, first serve and do not require registration. The South Street Seaport Museum will also be on hand to share information about their historic tug that will be moving GlassBarge along the waterways.
For more information, including the full summer schedule and images, visit www.cmog.org/GlassBarge.
