ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The grand opening of Alabama’s first glass-blowing studio available to the public will be Aug. 21, from 6 to 9 p.m. The studio, called The Hot Shop at Orange Beach Arts Center, will be available for tours, demonstrations, classes and rental after the opening.

There will be live music, food, drink, glass-blowing demonstrations, glass art raffles and a ribbon cutting.

The Hot Shop is named after the traditional name for the glass-blowing area in a glass studio.

Festivities will begin with glass-blowing demonstrations by area artists, including Joe Hobbs and Joe Thompson of Bear Creek Glass.

There will also be live music played by classical guitarist Billy Howell.

Free food and drink will be available, and for a $20 donation, you will receive a hand-blown glass and complementary adult beverages.

Mayor Tony Kennon and Joe Thompson with Bear Creek Glass, who donated $230,000 in glass equipment for the studio, will cut the ribbon officially opening The Hot Shop at 6:30.

Hand-blown glass door prizes and raffle drawings are scheduled for 8:30.

Then on Aug. 22, from noon to 4 p.m., individuals will be able to blow their own ornament or sun-catcher for $20.

Also that day there will be free “Introduction to Glass” tours on the hour from noon to 4 p.m. The tour will include a talk about glass-blowing equipment, how glass is made and colored and a glass-blowing demonstration in The Hot Shop.

The Hot Shop will offer a comprehensive class schedule for novices and experts in all the methods of forming glass. The classes will be taught by staff artist Joe Hobbs and other artists from around the country and even internationally.

The Glass Studio will be open to the public for tours, viewing and demonstrations, including specially designed art education programs for K-12 students.

The Hot Shop, a public access glass education facility, was founded in 2009 by The Orange Beach Arts Center, The Friends of the Arts and Bear Creek Glass.

It is a place where students, artists and community can come together to share knowledge, resources and artistic expression through the medium of glass.

Tours, demonstrations, events, classes, shop rentals and gallery are available to the public.