Corning Inc., a Fortune 500 company that opened its business in 1851, will celebrate its 175th anniversary Wednesday, July 22 at Centennial Park.
Millicent Ruffin, Corning Division Vice President, said everyone is invited join the celebration from 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, featuring live music, lawn games, food trucks and ending with epic fireworks in the company’s namesake hometown.
“We are really excited for everyone to join us at the 175th anniversary event,” Ruffin said. “We will have a live band, all your favorite food trucks, and something for the whole family to enjoy.”
Events at the celebration will include face painting for kids, several yard games and gifts allowing people to pick up gear branded with Corning’s 175th anniversary.
“It’s just a great opportunity for the company to say thank you for everything we’ve built together at our time here in Corning,” Ruffin said. “It’s really a way for us to come together to give back to the community as we continue to grow together.”
The celebration will end at about 9:30 p.m. with an amazing fireworks display. The Little Joe Tower, a landmark 187‑foot white chimney‑like structure in downtown Corning, built in 1912, will be illuminated for the 175th anniversary.
“We hope to see everyone there,” Ruffin said. “It will be a busy night in downtown Corning.”
Michelle Cotton, Corning Inc.’s Department of Archives and Records Management corporate archivist manager, said in the relatively short time since Corning celebrated its 150th anniversary 25 years ago, the company’s growth has changed drastically with a run of strong quarterly reports and a skyrocketing stock price.
The company has capitalized on the booming artificial intelligence industry, including a deal with Nvidia that will create 3,000 jobs in North Carolina and Texas and a multi-billion-dollar agreement with Meta. Corning will also produce 100% of the cover glass on iPhone and Apple Watch units after a $2.5 billion investment in Corning’s manufacturing facility in Kentucky.
“As a member of a family who’s worked here at Corning for multiple generations, it means so much to me to see the company continue to prosper and grow,” Cotton said. “If some of those early generations, like Amory Houghton Sr., who built the company in 1851, and others could see the company today, it would be absolutely mind-blowing.”
Cotton said the growth at Corning Inc.’s namesake city has been made possible by a lot of people who have worked here, dedicated to the company and its innovative spirit for generations.
“Corning Inc. always thinks about what we can do to make this world a better place,” Cotton said. “It makes me feel good that from the time I started until today, Corning Inc. has made so many strides, and carried on that legacy, to make Corning and the world better.”
Throughout 2026, Corning, which spans the globe, will host various events across the world in celebration of the 175th anniversary.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Corning is celebrating company’s 175th anniversary in hometown July 22
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Smith, Corning Leader | USA TODAY Network
