The small Southern Tier city of Corning has quietly become a top tourist destination. "We see nearly a half-million of visitors a year for tourism," said Mike Melaro, director of marketing and communications for Corning's Gaffer District. Thousands of those visitors are expected this weekend for the fourth annual GlassFest.
"Behind the New York City Metro area and the Niagara Falls region, Corning is the third most-visited city in New York State in terms of tourism," Melaro said.
The city remains home to Corning Incorporated, known for over a century as the Corning Glass Works, a major American company that grew as its innovations altered the material that we take for granted. The Corning Museum of Glass with its look at the role of glass in art, science and culture, has been a tourist favorite for over a half-century.
According to Melaro, Corning offers more than glass.
"The architecture has always been a big thing," Melaro said.
"We have an effort focused on restoring and renovating old buildings. You see buildings that date back to the early 20th Century, many of them all brick."
This weekend's GlassFest has become a large part of the area's tourist industry
"We invite artists from around the country to come and set up and do demonstrations and sell their products. They are unbelievable, one-of-a-kind pieces of art," Melaro said.
"This is really a celebration of glass and the fire arts. We've come up with this term, 'fire arts,' to define any type of art form where heat or an open flame is used to produce the end product. Not just glass, but ceramics, pottery, lamp-working, metal, jewelry."