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James E. McGreevey |
William D. Watley |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523 |
| EXPERIENCE THE
HOLIDAYS AT WHEATON VILLAGE Trenton, N.J. (November 26, 2003)—Looking for a unique alternative to regular hum drum shopping this holiday season? Millville's Wheaton Village provides an unusual option amidst a breathtaking display of glassworks. “New Jersey has a wealth of small treasure troves,” says Nancy Byrne, executive director of New Jersey's Office of Travel & Tourism. “Historic villages with craft shops can provide leisurely relief from the normal holiday shopping frenzy. You can find one-of-a-kind gifts and even turn a shopping trip into an overnight mini-vacation.” Established in the 1730s, Wheaton Village is considered the country’s first successful glass factory. The Village is named after Dr. T.C. Wheaton who founded a successful factory in 1888, manufacturing hand-blown and pressed glass and expanding into plastics and related specialty products. The recreated Village occupies a campus-like setting with a central green, five shops devoted to glass and hand-made crafts, the Down Jersey Folklife Center, TC Wheaton Glass Factory (a replica of the original) and the Museum of American Glass, the country’s largest glass museum of its kind. During the holidays, a 14-foot Christmas tree, decorated with contemporary glass ornaments, dominates the museum’s entry and the whole Village sparkles with festive lights, wreaths and evergreen swags. The normal Tuesday through Sunday 10 am-5 pm hours are extended until 8 pm on December 3, 10 and 17 and special holiday programs include wreath and paper making on December 13. Entrance to the village and shops is free during the Holidays at Wheaton Village, November 28 through January 4, with entrance to the museum $10 (Apr-Dec); $9 (Jan-Mar). Children five and under are free and senior, student and AAA discounts are available. The Museum of American Glass is a collectors' delight. In addition to possessing the world’s largest bottle made in Wheaton Village’s working glass factory and featured in the Guinness Book of World Records, displays encompass utilitarian and decorative glass pieces turned out by such early factories as Wistarburgh, Mount Washington, Pairpoint, Durand and Tiffany Studios as well as hand-blown individual pieces by such renowned contemporary giants as Dale Chihuly, Paul Stankard, Harvey Littleton, Michael Glancy, Jon Kuhn and others -- more than 6,500 objects in all. Steeped in the sheer beauty of glass, visitors can stroll the Village and watch artists perform traditional glass-making techniques at the factory. You can even make your own paperweight by appointment! Then, visit the Village shops for unusual, handcrafted gifts in a wide price range. The Gallery of Fine Craft offers one-of-a-kind contemporary in various media by over 100 artisans. With emphasis on contemporary glass, the gallery also represents resident Wheaton Village artists (collectibles in the making for discerning eyes) and the studio works of Dale Chihuly, Paul Stankard and others. The Arthur Gorham Paperweight Shop features one of the world’s largest selections of traditional and contemporary glass paperweights, representing established and emerging artists. Brownstone Emporium emphasizes American production glass, featuring Wheaton Village functional glass, Fenton Art Glass, LE Smith Glass, Mosser Reproductions, Peggy Karr Fused Glass, Glassmasters' Museum Replicas: Tiffany, Frank Lloyd Wright, Monet, Van Gogh, Thomas Kinkade, Meyda, SJ Artist, John Marselis, stained and beveled glass. The General Store takes visitors back in time with a nostalgic collection of dry goods, house wares, children's books, games, penny candy and the resident tinsmith's handcrafted items. The Christmas Shop, located in the Brownstone Emporium, offers glass ornaments, Old World Glass, and other unusual holiday ornaments, beautifully decorated trees, music boxes and so much more! Other places of interest in the Village include: The Glass Studio in the T. C. Wheaton Glass Factory is a fully functioning glass studio modeled after the original 1888 factory and recognized throughout the country as a valuable resource to the glass art community. Studio artists work in both traditional and contemporary techniques Crafts Studios: Ceramics, Flame-worked Glass, Woodcarving and Tinsmithing are demonstrated and interpreted to visitors by skilled artists. The Down Jersey Folklife Center researches and documents regional expressive traditions in New Jersey's southern eight counties, presenting research-based programs for a wide variety of audiences. Wheaton Village is located at 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville, NJ. Call 800-998-4552. Website is www.wheatonvillage.org. Adjacent to the village, within easy walking distance, are the Country Inn Hotel and the Paperwaiter Restaurant. For information and brochures on touring, dining, places to stay, maps and a complete vacation kit, contact the New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism, at 609-292-2470; or check the website at www.visitnj.org
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