The Town that Saved Christmas
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
How breath can stretch the molten glass to twice
its rounded size with but a gentle blow,
an output ribbon machines exponentially grow
as spittlebugs do their myriad-globed disguise
to meet demand as World War Two denies
Lauscha fruit a Woolworthy way to flow,
dragging fragile Christmas Spirit low,
the blowpipe bent, the furnace fire dies.
But embers rise as will the glass again,
answering dark by turning from the light
bulbs to the beautiful orbs silver-swirled,
birds, snow scenes, manger birthing in
Wellsboro by the Canyon, shining bright,
Christmas Ornament Capital of the World.
NOTES:
The title comes from a 2018 article by Ed Byers entitled Wellsboro: the Town that Saved Christmas (https://pawilds.com/wellsboro-the-town-that-saved-christmas/)
In the 1920s Corning Glass developed ribbon machines to automate the production of glass ornaments that are still used today.
Spittlebugs are froghopper nymphs that hide themselves in foamy bubbles that they make by sucking juice from the stem of a plant.
The English sea trade blockade of Germany in World War II ended all hope of Lausche, Germany exporting its world famous glass Christmas ornaments to America through Woolworth distribution channels.
Corning Glass purchased a defunct plant in Wellsboro in 1919 to to blow glass light bulbs for Edison/Wellington who were working to light up New York City. When the opportunity came to manufacture glass Christmas ornaments, Corning was able to use this infrastructure to achieve this end. Soon they were producing upwards of 300,000 ornaments a day. Eventually in addition to producing balls, they made ornaments of all shapes (called small Fancies and Large Fancies)--tops, oblongs, pyramids, diamonds, reflectors, bells, icicles, teardrops, trees, lanterns, and pinecones.
Wellsboro sits on the doorstep to Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon.
Corning Glass partnered with Max Ekhard’s company Shiny Brite (among others) which added decorative exteriors to the ornaments and distributed them nationwide.
8. Wellsboro’s nickname is the Christmas Ornament Capital of the World. This heritage is celebrated annually as Christmas on Main Street on the first weekend of December.
9. The form of this poem is the Italian sonnet.
