Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Since 1980, Blenko Glass Company in Milton has commemorated West Virginia Day with a special, limited edition piece inspired by the Mountain State and its many attractions.
For the 162nd West Virginia Day, Blenko has drawn inspiration from the railroad – more specifically, the Shay #2 locomotive at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park and the decommissioned tracks that run through the Blenko Milton campus.
Those tracks are the ones that brought William J. Blenko to the region more than a century ago.
Blenko designer Ashley Boggs designed the Full Steam Ahead Decanter, the Holler Song swung companion piece and a commemorative suncatcher for the collection.
The Full Steam Ahead piece was described in a press release as follows:
“A striking cobalt blue vase topped with a stopper shaped like rising smoke, Full Steam Ahead pays tribute to the mighty steam engines that helped build Appalachia and the artistry of glassblowing that continues to define Blenko today.”
Blenko made 162 of the vases which are individually numbered in gold and hand-signed by John Blenko and Boggs. They will be available through auction starting June 20.
“From our founder’s dream, to the generations of glassblowers who’ve walked across those tracks, and the visitors who still cross them today – these rails connect us all,” Boggs said in the press release. “Just like glassmaking, trains aren’t the fastest or most efficient anymore, but their magic endures. My hope is that this piece encourages people to pause and reflect on preserving traditions, celebrating history and honoring the enduring spirit of Appalachia.”
The process of making the West Virginia Day collection begins earlier in the year, when the design team sits down and decides what will be featured and what the piece will look like.
“There’s a process to even get to the glass piece – having a concept, having a drawing, having a mold built and carved – so it’s kind of earlier in the year that we worked on this piece,” marketing manager Toril Lavender said.
Once the design is selected and molds are made, the glassblowers get to work making the limited-edition pieces. This year, the more veteran glassblowers worked on the vase, while one focused on the stoppers.
“James Woodson is doing all of the stoppers,” Lavender said. “The stopper is not made with a mold. He hand forms each one of those stoppers.”
The companion piece, named Holler Song, is a bright yellow swung vase which is shaped by hand. The curved handled resembles a train’s whistle pull.
Like the swung vase, the commemorative suncatcher is a vibrant yellowish orange hue and is stamped with an image of the train, as well as 2025 WV Day.
Both the companion piece and suncatcher are available on the Blenko website and Blenko Visitor Center.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of the suncatcher will go to Friends of Cass.
Lavender said there is a collection of almost all the West Virginia Day pieces on display at the Blenko Museum in Milton, and a full collection at the Culture Center, in Charleston.
