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It would eventually become the companyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s trademark piece, leading buyers to collect them in all colors, sizes and other variants. Now, each year, the company sets aside a week to commemorate the design, filling the shopping area with water bottles, as well as other limited edition items, for visitors to browse.

The week started off with Blenko Glass Company releasing its new water bottle in a purple variation called ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œHeliotrope.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Marketing Manager Toril Lavender said there are also some experimental pieces being sold in the visitors center throughout the week, which started Tuesday and will end Sunday.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œ(WeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re) kicking off creative designs with an iconic piece of glass,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Boggs said.

There is also a , in which people may submit art pertaining to the water bottle design. The winner of the contest will be chosen on Sunday, and their art will be printed on postcards available in the visitor center.

The water bottle itself was created to fit the electric ice boxes created in the 1930s. The design allowed for the bottle to slide into cubbies on the door to keep water cold, Boggs said.

Now, itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a piece that Lavender said every person on the hot shop floor knows how to make.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe have a lot of younger glass blowers whoÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve joined us in the last three to four years, and so this is just a piece that they they learn right off the bat,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Lavender said.

Boggs said the process begins with three raw ingredients: silica sand, soda ash and limestone. These materials are the reason the founder, William John Blenko, set up shop in the area.

She said once each batch is mixed, itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s loaded into the furnaces and is melted down over the course of about three days. Once itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s melted and homogenized inside the furnace, a gatherer brings the hot glass out, but just enough for a water bottle.

The gatherer will take it to the water bottle molds where a glass blower will blow through a blowpipe into the glass while another person holds the mold, causing it to expand to the edges of the mold.

Overall, Boggs said the process requires a team of about six people who will also shape the spout, load it into a kiln to control its cooling process so it doesnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t crack, grade it and ensure itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s ready to be sold.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a lot of hands in the process of making all of our pieces, really,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Lavender said.

Throughout the year, unique designs may even be held back from being sold specifically to be used during Water Bottle Week, Lavender said.

In the visitors center and online, buyers have a range of water bottles to choose from. Pricing, Lavender said, depends on qualities like the pieceÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s color variant, designs added to the bottle, and the different techniques used to create its appearance.

There are also two qualities for buyers to choose from. First quality, Boggs said, it about as close to perfect as possible for a handmade piece of glass, while second qualities may not be perfect, but theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll each have a small ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œquirkÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� that cannot be replicated.

Blenko Glass Company will also have a course at 3 p.m. Feb. 8 for those wishing to learn how to make their own heart spout water bottle.

Charles Harshbarger, who has been with Blenko Glass for about 46 years and works with lamps and other specialty items, said Water Bottle Week is ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œreally something big.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIt sells out fast,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Harshbarger said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThey offer that class, people jump on that, then they really enjoy doing it, blowing their own water bottle.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s really neat. You get to meet up new people. A lot of times theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll come from all over the country ... So itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s kind of neat, meeting people, talking to them, watching them learn about what we do.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�