Medina will host Corning Museum’s ‘Glass Barge’ for 2 days this summer
Provided photo from Corning Museum of Glass: A barge with mobile glassmaking equipment will be in Medina on Aug. 11-12.
MEDINA – The Corning Museum of Glass announced that the 2018 GlassBarge tour will visit Medina, docking at Medina Canal Basin on August 11-12.
As the 2018 signature event for the statewide celebration of the Erie Canal Bicentennial, GlassBarge will offer free public glassmaking demonstrations at each scheduled stop during its four-month tour.
GlassBarge commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company – now known as Corning Incorporated – relocating to Corning via the New York Waterways by canal barge.
In celebration of this pivotal journey, the Corning Museum is recreating the voyage with GlassBarge – a 30′ x 80′ canal barge equipped with Corning’s patented all-electric glassmaking equipment. In addition to sharing the story of glassmaking in Corning, the GlassBarge tour emphasizes the continued role of New York’s waterways in shaping the state’s industry, culture, and community.
“We are thrilled to visit Medina to bring to life the historic waterway in their community,” said Rob Cassetti, senior director, creative strategy and audience engagement at the Corning Museum. “The Corning Museum of Glass has taken mobile glassmaking around the world, and we can’t wait to share the beauty of this endlessly versatile material with our closest neighbors across New York State.”
GlassBarge begins it tour in Brooklyn on May 17 and will travel north on the Hudson River, then westward along the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo before making its way to the Finger Lakes. A ceremonial last leg of the trip will take place by land, concluding in Corning with a community-wide celebration on Sept. 22. (Besides stopping in Medina, GlassBarge will also be in Brockport from Aug. 17-19.)
“The Village of Medina is excited to host the Corning GlassBarge along with the Lois McClure as they travel the Historic Erie Canal commemorating not only the bicentennial of the Canal but the 150th anniversary of the glass company move through the waterway from New York City to Corning,” said Mike Sidari, mayor of the Village of Medina. “I encourage area residents to bring their family and friends to historic Medina and enjoy the only port of call for the GlassBarge and the Lois McClure in Orleans County. While visiting please feel free to walk around our beautiful canal side business district and enjoy all the locally owned stores and restaurants.”
A flotilla of historic ships will accompany GlassBarge, including the Lois McClure, a replica of an 1862 canal barge, and the C.L. Churchill, a 1964 tugboat, both part of the permanent collection of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. The museum will share the story of 19th-century canal life and how materials were shipped on New York’s waterways. On the Erie Canal, GlassBarge will be moved by an historic tug from the fleet of the South Street Seaport Museum, connecting upstate and downstate by water.
GlassBarge will provide daily demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 11-12 at the Medina Canal Basin. All demos are approximately 30 minutes long, and reservations are strongly encouraged through free timed tickets that will be available at www.cmog.org/GlassBarge. Reservations will open 4-6 weeks prior to each stop. Demos can also be viewed from shore without a reservation.
