Admission is $5 per person, free for Homestead members, and includes the program, a bowl of soup and a house tour. Carnival glass, often referred to as “poor man’s Tiffany” by collectors, is revered for its unique colors and style. Presenter Kenda Jeske, along with her husband Bill, have been presenting on carnival glass throughout the country for more than a decade. They also contribute to an online pricing and educational website related to the glass.
Jeske will show how pioneers of this iridized glass could have come up with their shapes and patterns and present examples of carnival glass that feature homesteads, cabins, flowers, and other themes that fit into the historic nature of the Glidden Homestead.
The glass is well-loved for bringing color and light to homes when sun shines on this unique and colorful glass, which has an iridescent sheen, and was sometimes used by households to create additional light when electricity was still new. Carnival glass was initially mass-produced from the beginning of the 20th century and reached the height of its popularity in the 1920s.
Soup-er Sunday programs support the J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center in DeKalb, a not-for-profit organization working to preserve the home and barn, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These programs will be held at 12 p.m. on the first and third Sundays of January, February and March. Visit GliddenHomestead.org for the full list. For more information, call 815-756-7904, visit
www.gliddenhomestead.org or visit J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center on Facebook.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Glidden’s “The Winner” patent, the most widely-used barbed wire in the world, which also earned Glidden the title “The Father of Barbed Wire.” In September 2024 the Homestead will celebrate by hosting a barbed wire exposition show in coordination with the Antique Barbed Wire Society, and other community-wide events.
