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Fenton Art Glass to hold employee reunion Saturday

File Photo Fenton Art Glass is welcoming back former employees of the plant and gift shop this Saturday for a reunion. The building will be demolished to make way for a new elementary school, and officials say this is the last chance to say goodbye.

WILLIAMSTOWN — The Fenton Art Glass plant and gift shop will hold a reunion Saturday for former employees and their families.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, with tours of the factory available. Cake and punch will be served and the gift shop will be open.

Those wanting to attend should RSVP with the number of people attending in an email to Chris Hill at chill@fentonartglass.com.

The plant and surrounding property are being purchased by the Wood County Board of Education to be the site of the new Williamstown-Waverly Elementary School, which is expected to open in 2020.

“We’ve invited any employee from the glass factory and the gift shop,” said CEO George Fenton. “We heard they wanted to see the site and the plant before the demolition.”

Fenton said about 175 people have already responded and plan to attend.

“We’d like to see as many people here as possible,” he said. “It’ll be good to have people come back. I know they want to see one another.”

Fenton Glass, founded in 1905, employed 725 local residents at its peak as pressers, blowers, finishers, glass mixers, melters, in mold maintenance, as inspectors, decorators and finishers, in shipping, customer service, sales and product development.

The company saw a rapid decline in sales beginning in 2000, and in 2011 the plant closed while the gift shop continued to operate.

Auctions for office items from within the building will be held at the plant May 6, May 20 and June 3. A date for demolition has not yet been set.

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