August 2018

A Tour in Grand Fashion

Have you been meaning to visit the Corning Museum of Glass since you first moved to the Rochester area — and never made it? Or maybe you grew up in Western New York, visited on a grade-school field trip, and haven’t made it back. Well, now the museum dedicated to telling the story of glass is coming to you. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of glassmaking in Upstate New York, the Corning Museum of Glass sent a barge specially outfitted with electric glassmaking equipment on a summer-long tour. The GlassBarge launched from New York City in May and is traveling along the Hudson River and Erie Canal this summer, bringing glassblowing demonstrations to more than 30 communities. The final destination is the Corning Museum of Glass.

One Hot Ticket

GlassBarge will be open for free glassblowing demonstrations from 11 am to 6 pm daily. All demos are approximately 30 minutes long, and seating is limited. Guests are encouraged to register online for specific demonstration locations and times.

Stops near Rochester include:

Spencerport, NY – August 21
Spencerport Depot & Canal Museum

Pittsford, NY – August 23–26
Carpenter Park at Port of Pittsford

Palmyra, NY – August 28
Erie Canal Lock 29

You can see the full list of stops here.

Beyond Glass

If you can’t get a ticket to a GlassBarge seating, you can watch from shore, or board the Lois McClure to learn about life on a canal barge in the 19th century. Tours are first-come, first-served and do not require registration. The South Street Seaport Museum will also be on hand to talk about their historic tug that will be moving GlassBarge along the waterways.