Take the fiery creativity of glassblowing, add an eclectic and energetic lineup of bands, invite a bunch of other artists to come show off their skills and put everyone into a magical vibed away-from-it-all location, and you have the second annual Glass City Expo, which runs Friday, May 30 through Sunday, June 1 at Poe Road Musical Sanctuary in Grand Rapids, Ohio, a half hour drive from Toledo.
At the center of the three-day festival of music, art, and fellowship is glass, the substance and the industry that first put Toledo on the map. To event co-organizer William James Cooper, Jr., the Glass City Expo invokes local patriotism and being proud of Toledo’s status as the Glass City, while also being blown away by the amazing things that glass artists can do with their equipment.
“We live in such an industrialized age now, and glass has been used for everything for such a long time,” said Cooper. “And you have to dedicate your whole life to glass art. You have to have the right connections, the right tools, and in my opinion, glass artists are wizards. It’s a hard thing to be able to do. You can’t just pick it up. You can’t master it quickly. There’s so many different techniques and styles. You can’t just look up tutorials on YouTube. It’s a wizardly thing and an ancient craft.”
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Last year’s inaugural Glass City Expo was held at The Golden Road, the Grateful Dead shrine bar out on Dorr St. just past Byrne. While the venue’s cheerfully psychedelic tone provided an appropriate setting for live music and an art show, the venue was too small to accommodate all the glass artists who wanted to participate.
Enter Andrew Price of AMP Concerts, who books a lot of the bar bands throughout Toledo. Price handles the music and entertainment side of the Glass City Expo, while Cooper handles the glass artists and other creatives who will be on site.
Scheduled music events over the course of three days include EDM artists to good, old-fashioned hippie jam bands, to a headlining performance by Legendz, the band led by Wayne Barger, who owns the land where Poe Road Music Sanctuary lies. According to Price, music fans can expect to hear three hours of classic rock covers from Legendz—an hour of Queen, an hour of Led Zeppelin, and an hour of Pink Floyd.
“We’re trying to do what the Poe Road Music Sanctuary is all about,” said Price. “Where everyone can gather in a safe place and take the glass culture of Toledo and put it out there. Having the glass blowing and the music together will be enough to attract a lot of different demographics.”
The second annual Glass City Expo runs Friday, May 30, through Sunday, June 1. Overnight camping is allowed and encouraged. Friday is early bird day, and tickets are $10. Saturday and Sunday together is $20, and a three-day pass is $30. Food trucks will be on site. Poe Road Music Sanctuary is located at 24401 Poe Road in Grand Rapids. For ticket information, visit theticketing.co.
