Corning, NY – Corning’s Gaffer District, in partnership with the sponsors of GlassFest, announced today that the 11th annual GlassFest will be moved from Memorial Day weekend in May to July 30-August 2, 2020.
The unprecedented decision was based on the COVID-19 emergency and uncertainty of the coming days. Gaffer District Executive Director Coleen Fabrizi said, “I never imagined a scenario that would require us to move GlassFest from the traditional Memorial Day weekend, yet here we are and our businesses are really going to need the business more than ever.”
The GlassFest sponsors are in full support of this change “The health and welfare of the residents of our community and visitors to our region is our top priority,” said Michael J. Wayne, Senior Vice President of Chemung Canal Trust Company. “While we are disappointed that GlassFest 2020 needs to be rescheduled, we believe being proactive in changing the date to late July provides the professional staff of the Gaffer District the time to create another world-class event that will feature the skilled talents of area artisans, along with all the best our region has to offer,”.
In addition, our Gaffer district at The ARTS Council, offered support, Executive Director, Dr. Connie Sullivan-Blum, shared, "The arts have always been a part of community healing and resilience. Corning's Gaffer District and The ARTS Council are committed to promoting our artists, as well as the whole community while maintaining safety as a priority. Postponing GlassFest is a wise move and will allow us to celebrate together when the coronavirus crisis is behind us."
Fabrizi added, "We look forward to celebrating the 11th GlassFest with our community and guests from near and far later this summer. In the meantime, we invite you to support our downtown businesses by going to Gafferdistrict.com to learn about our “Buy Now, Shop Later” promotion to help combat the financial hardship of our small businesses brought on by the COVID-19 crisis.
