The History of the Elwood Glass Festival
The Elwood (Indiana) Glass Festival is the pride of the community and one of the leading festivals in Central Indiana. It has been the city’s largest annual event for 49 years and welcomes thousands of visitors from throughout Indiana.
Elwood’s first Glass Festival was a one-day event in 1971 that marked the 30th anniversary of the grand opening of Elwood’s highly revered St. Clair Glass Works.
The next year, the festival was extended to a week long. It offered thousands of visitors a full schedule of activities reminiscent of the city’s old Tomato Festival days – a beauty pageant, a talent show, a fashion show, an art fair, carnival rides, games, food, and two performances by popular comedienne Phyllis Diller, and, of course, tours of the glass factories
Today’s Glass Festival is organized and funded by the Elwood Chamber of Commerce with help from local businesses and countless volunteers from the community. It is held annually on the third weekend of August, Friday through Sunday.
The festival is a tribute to the unique, beautifully crafted hand-blown art-glass produced throughout the Elwood community since the earliest days of the Indiana Gas Boom, more than 100 years ago. Today, Elwood is the home of two outstanding art-glass factories – The House of Glass and Carol’s Legacy Glass.
The festival welcomes dozens of unique artisans, merchandise vendors, and food stands. Activities include live musical shows, a parade, helicopter rides, carnival rides, demonstrations, contests, a vintage car show, and bus tours to the local glass factories.
The Elwood Glass Festival is an event that celebrates the city’s rich artistic glass history and is an event for visitors of all ages to enjoy. And admission is free!
For more information, please call the Elwood Chamber of Commerce, (765) 552-0180.
Elwood’s first Glass Festival was a one-day event in 1971 that marked the 30th anniversary of the grand opening of Elwood’s highly revered St. Clair Glass Works.
The next year, the festival was extended to a week long. It offered thousands of visitors a full schedule of activities reminiscent of the city’s old Tomato Festival days – a beauty pageant, a talent show, a fashion show, an art fair, carnival rides, games, food, and two performances by popular comedienne Phyllis Diller, and, of course, tours of the glass factories
Today’s Glass Festival is organized and funded by the Elwood Chamber of Commerce with help from local businesses and countless volunteers from the community. It is held annually on the third weekend of August, Friday through Sunday.
The festival is a tribute to the unique, beautifully crafted hand-blown art-glass produced throughout the Elwood community since the earliest days of the Indiana Gas Boom, more than 100 years ago. Today, Elwood is the home of two outstanding art-glass factories – The House of Glass and Carol’s Legacy Glass.
The festival welcomes dozens of unique artisans, merchandise vendors, and food stands. Activities include live musical shows, a parade, helicopter rides, carnival rides, demonstrations, contests, a vintage car show, and bus tours to the local glass factories.
The Elwood Glass Festival is an event that celebrates the city’s rich artistic glass history and is an event for visitors of all ages to enjoy. And admission is free!
For more information, please call the Elwood Chamber of Commerce, (765) 552-0180.