photo by: Eric Ayres

John Weishar of Weishar Enterprises shows off a wide variety of elegant pieces created using the Moon & Star Pattern Glass moulds crafted at Island Mould and Machine Co. in Wheeling. Weishar Enterprises is hosting the Society of Moon & Star Pattern Glass Club this weekend and is debuting new glass colors — dubbed passion pink opal and passion pink opal caramel — specifically for the convention and glassware show and sale.

Serious glass collectors from all over the United States will be flocking to the Ohio Valley this weekend, when annual glass conventions will be taking place in three different cities.

While the COVID-19 pandemic threw a curveball to hard-core enthusiasts of elegant glass over the past couple of years, the traditional trek to the valley — home to a rich history of glass making — will be back in full swing this year.

In Wheeling, Weishar Enterprises will be hosting a 24-year celebration of The Society of Moon & Star Pattern Glass with a convention and a glass show and sale. In Moundsville, the Fostoria Glass Society of America will be holding its 41^st annual convention with an array of events that are open to the public all weekend. In Bellaire, the National Imperial Glass Collectors’ Society Inc. is holding its 46^th annual convention with several events for members, as well as a Glass Fest on the museum lawn that will be open to the public.

Signature craftsmanship and unrivaled quality of glass items manufactured by local companies dates back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. The annual conventions truly draw dealers and collectors from near and far who buy and sell their prized pieces, seek out rare and antique items, and even get a first look at some new creations.

“For the sale, there are glass collectors coming from Colorado, Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Maine — all over the United States,” said John Weishar of Weishar Enterprises — Moon & Star Glassware in Wheeling. “I got a message from a lady who is coming in all the way from Honolulu … which is pretty cool.”

photo by: Eric Ayres

John Weishar of Weishar Enterprises and Island Mould and Machine Co. in Wheeling shows one of the moulds used to create a glass candle holder.

On Friday, the Weishar Glass Museum on Joan Street in Wheeling will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, when a tent sale will also be open to the public. On Saturday, The Society of Moon and Star Pattern Glass Club will hold its big show and sale at St. Alphonsus Parish Hall from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission to the show and sale is free and open to the public, and the featured glassware will include pieces from Weishar Enterprises, L.E. Smith Glass Co., The Adams Glass Co., L.G. Wright Glass Co. as well as uranium, jade, Carnival and Mid-Century Modern glass, and more.

Weishar said next year’s celebration for the 25^th annual convention will be a landmark celebration.

“Next year will be a big to-do,” he said.

While many convention events this weekend are for members only, several of the sales, shows, auctions and other activities are open to the public.

In Moundsville, the community is welcome and encouraged to attend almost all of the events happening as part of the Fostoria Glass Society convention.

“We have 20 dealers from all across the country coming with a variety of elegant Depression Glass,” said Michelle Sugg, chair of this year’s Fostoria Glass Society of America convention. “Some are samples of items that have never been seen before.”

Fostoria, Imperial, Morgantown, Fenton, Cambridge, Heisey, Moon & Star, Depression Glass and other collectibles will be featured.

The Fostoria’s show premier will be held from 4-7 p.m. at the Moundsville Center building located at the historic former West Virginia Penitentiary. The show continues from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. There will be a seminar at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and a glass auction will take place at the Marshall County Fairgrounds at 5 p.m. on Saturday with a preview of the auction items beginning at 4 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Fostoria Glass Society of America Museum in Moundsville.

There will be an admission fee to the show events. A flea market will take place at 8 a.m. on Sunday at the Moundsville Center. Admission to the flea market will be by donation until 10 a.m., and admission will be free thereafter.

“The show will feature some of the most gorgeous glass you will ever see,” said Cassie Clark, assistant curator of the Fostoria Glass Museum. “This is an absolutely beautiful show.”

Food vendors will also be available for the community events, Clark said.

The National Imperial Glass Collectors’ Society convention has several member events taking place at the museum at 2200 Belmont St. and at the Bellaire Public Library through Friday. Then on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., a Glass Fest will be taking place on the museum lawn, and the community is invited to come check out the eye-popping items.

“Of course, the museum is always open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” said administrator Rosalie Wenckoski. “There will be a variety of items for sale at the Glass Fest – and we’re hoping we won’t be getting rain. The collectors will be selling everything from rare items to reasonably priced items, and there will be a variety of patterns to choose from.”

For more information on the glass conventions, museums or storied background of the local glass industry, visit www.imperialglass.org, www.weishar.com and www.fostoria.org. Those interested in locally crafted artisan glass can connect on official social media pages, or stop by the local convention sales and events this weekend that are open for the public to enjoy.

“Come check out a piece of American history – and Ohio Valley history,” Weishar said.