The Legend of the Gathers
For a story to be true, it needs folks who believe. Folks who know the strangest things are often the most real. Folks like me. And, maybe, folks like you.
The Legend is a mash-up, if you will, of genuine, bona fide historical happenings with a dab of creative supernatural embellishment thrown in for fun.
Backstory
In 1879 or 1880 (historic accounts differ), young inventor Thomas Edison sent a representative to see if a small glass company, Corning Glass Works, could create the special glass containers needed for his incandescent lamps. While in Corning, Edison’s representative met with the top glassblower at that time, James Lear, who along with his crew attempted to make a glass envelope that met Edison’s requirements.
As James struggled to create the desired shape, the representative looked over and saw a young shop boy gather a gob of molten glass from the furnace, swing his blowpipe, then proceed to blow a bubble of glass in the exact shape the man was seeking.
“. . . an Edison assistant, visited Corning in 1879 or 1880 with a sketch of the bulb he wanted. . . . Edison’s representative watched a boy blowing a glass bubble.” — Davis Dyer and Daniel Gross, The Generations of Corning: The Life and Times of a Global Corporation
The Days of Incandescence
In the end, it wasn’t the master glassblower, but a boy of about twelve who intuitively and playfully blew a glass bubble that changed the course of history for the company and for the town. Even more interesting, however, is that fact that years later three different men claimed to have been that boy. And from that sense of mystery The Legend was born.
The original story (which is a supernatural fictional tale inspired by the real event) was written in 2018 as a middle grade chapbook. The following year, a picture book version of the story was created and an illustrator from Syracuse, Erin Nowak, became part of the project.
The Legend of the Gathers: Protectors of the Light applies the concept of incandescence (that objects give off heat that isn’t visible until it reaches a certain temperature) to phantom folk called The Gathers (also a term for a gob of molten glass taken from the furnace). According to the legend, the gathers are always around, but are not visible until it reaches a certain time of year also known as The Days of Incandescence (October 20-31). It is the intention of The Gathers, like Edison, to help get light out into the world.
An annual three-day event grew out of The Legend story.
Each October since 2018, the town is transformed into 1880s Corning. Costumed actors representing figures from the town’s past lead historic walking tours and perform during Archibald’s Libations Crawl which features a dozen local craft beverage producers and wineries offering tastings at sundry spots in Corning’s Gaffer District. The three days culminates on Saturday with an old time festival called the Days of Incandescence Celebration. There are curated vendors, folk music, a juggler, street magician, horse and wagon rides, and other forms of entertainment. Residents and visitors from around the country often come in costume adding to the Victorian era vibe.
In 2024, The Days of Incandescence was named one of the “Best October Events in New York State” (TravelPulse). And in 2025, Time Out named the event one of the “Best Halloween Events in the U.S.”