MGA Gathering Oct. 6 provides a radiant opportunity
The annual Millersburg Glass Association meeting will take place Friday, Oct. 6 at Comfort Suites in Berlin, where members will have a chance to peruse the glass collection going to auction the next day while enjoying plenty of fellowship and some fine dining.
There are associations, clubs and groups of all types in every community, but for the Millersburg Glass Association, the opportunity to join the group brings with it a chance to share in the oftentimes extremely rare world of collecting and appreciating carnival glass, especially the brilliant, almost glowing appeal of the radium glass Millersburg Glass Company owner John Fenton brought to the collecting world.
With the annual Millersburg Glass Association 2023 Gathering coming up Oct. 6-7 at Comfort Suites in Berlin, this annual event is tied to the annual Millersburg Glass Auction.
The gathering will take place Oct. 6 with the reception starting at 4 p.m. Any member in attendance will receive a free dinner, compliments of Crazy Nate’s BBQ, with service starting at 5 p.m.
At 6 p.m. local Millersburg collectors Mike and Mindy Young will give a seminar with their own take on collecting Millersburg Glass, and at 7 p.m. auctioneers Jim and Matthew Wroda will present a seminar, providing insight into the carnival glass world.
The gathering also will include plenty of games including a white elephant auction and the tumbler toss game, where the reward of having great aim with a ping pong ball is a carnival glass tumbler. There also will be plenty of door prizes.
The evening also will be a time for the MGA members to preview all of the Millersburg Glass that will be on the auction block at Comfort Suites on Saturday, Oct. 7 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
This year’s auction will feature the rare and vast collection of Randy and Bo Jones, Millersburg natives who have been collecting rare carnival glass for decades.
“This collection is one that is incomparable,” said Steve Maag, Millersburg Glass Association president. “It’s one that will hold a special place in our association because Randy and Bo have been a part of our family for many years, and the collection is something that all of our members and many others will be eager to see.”
MGA began in June 2012 when nine collectors met locally and ironed out details to organize the Millersburg Glass Association. The group wanted to create a club so they could share the history and beauty of glass made by the defunct Millersburg Glass Company, which operated between 1908 and 1911. Now in its 11th year, club members hail locally and from all over the United States and Canada.
One of the reasons the MGA has grown is because the Millersburg Glass Company hails from Holmes County, where more than a century ago Fenton built a carnival glass empire that failed miserably despite his company manufacturing some of the most innovative carnival glass ever made.
Because the company was only in operation for three years, most of Fenton’s unique pieces became very collectible, and because of that, Millersburg Glass has become a top seller in the carnival glass kingdom.
While Millersburg Glass is collected for its rarity and beauty, which have kept values extremely high, Maag said being a member brings with it so much more.
He said the MGA board meets quarterly and sends out a quarterly newsletter filled with all kinds of information and features focusing on various topics in the Millersburg Glass realm.
However, he said the gathering is always a highlight for members, where they can gather and fellowship, discuss their shared passion for carnival glass, and oftentimes learn a great deal about various rare pieces and collecting ideas.
“Just being around others who share the same passion is always fun,” Maag said. “Every year we all learn something new, and the camaraderie is special because we get to do this as a group. We get to know one another better, and that gathering on Friday evening is just a relaxing time to enjoy one another’s company.”
As for their commitment to Holmes County and the MGA, the Jones left little doubt as to their loyalty.
“Even though we are selling our glass, we will continue to be a part of the Millersburg Glass Association,” Randy Jones said. “This group of people and the association itself has come to mean so much to us over the years, and we have made lasting friendships there that will go on.”
A membership to MGA costs $20, and it includes the newsletter and the free meal on the evening of the gathering. In addition, there is a free noontime meal Saturday during the auction for anyone in attendance.
Maag said becoming a member is as simple as showing up at Comfort Suites Friday evening and registering, and he said that opens the door to a whole lot of carnival glass fun that can lead to an enriching hobby.
For more information visit Millersburg Glass Association on Facebook or visit the website at www.millersburgglass.com.