Posts in Local History | Blog

Enjoy Pretzel Day in PA's Americana Region

By Lisa Haggerty on Apr. 26, 2019

April 26th is National Pretzel Day and Pennsylvania’s Americana Region is celebrating. After all, pretzel baking began not too far from our region and the industry grew significantly in Berks County. Today, we are home to several pretzel bakers, including famous Tom Sturgis Pretzels Inc.. Did you…

What's Brewing in Pennsylvania's Americana Region

By Lisa Haggerty on Jan. 16, 2019

There are many fine craft breweries scattered throughout Pennsylvania’s Americana Region in the 21 st century. But, beer has been brewing in Reading and Berks County for a long time. Since, in fact, more than a dozen years before the United States declared independence. Historians pinpoint 1763 as…

All Aboard in Berks County, Pennsylvania

By Lisa Haggerty on Oct. 19, 2018

All aboard! With that familiar command, we eagerly boarded the Allentown and Auburn Railroad, an impressive diesel-powered connection back to a time when the rails commanded the nation’s transportation network. With two vintage cabooses, two coaches, one dating from the 1920s that’s been restored…

Reading Radsport Cycling Events Return to Berks County, PA

By Lisa Haggerty on Jul. 18, 2018

In its second year, the Reading Radsport Festival returns to the streets of West Reading and the steep slopes of Mount Penn. The two-day cycling festival features the West Reading Criterium on Saturday, August 4th, and the Mt Penn Hill climb on Sunday, August 5th. The weekend festival in Reading…

Great Stuff Summer Challenge Week Four in Berks County

By Lisa Haggerty on Jul. 16, 2018

Summer solstice has arrived with longer days and warmer nights. It’s a great time to experience all Berks County has to see and do. To kick start your summer fun, we put together PA’s Americana Region Great Stuff Challenge . It’s a checklist filled with weekly activities; everything from adventurous…

The Philadelphia Avenue Street Fair in Boyertown, Berks County

By Lisa Haggerty on May 29, 2018

In recent years, Boyertown has become increasingly popular as a go-to place, and for good reason: many locals are working both independently but also together in bringing out the best in our area across the historic railroad, shops, restaurants, art-appreciating venues, and more must-see stops…

Hiking the Pinnacle in Berks County, Pennsylvania

By Lisa Haggerty on Apr. 13, 2018

Cindy with her daughter at the Pinnacle. HIKING THE PINNACLE by Cindy Ross To imagine how the Appalachian Mountains were formed in Pennsylvania, take a stretched-out blanket and bunch it into long narrow folds. On the earth, these are steep-sided linear ridges separated by narrow valleys. One…

Berks Jazz Fest this weekend in Berks County, PA

By Lisa Haggerty on Apr. 05, 2018

Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest returns to Berks County on Friday, April 6th, offering ten soulful days of free and ticketed concerts across Berks County. As if a huge selection of musical events to attend wasn't enough to keep one occupied, the Reading Fightin Phils open their 2018 season with a homestand…

Reading Public Museum in Berks County, PA

By Lisa Haggerty on Mar. 28, 2018

Reading Public Museum, which has been welcoming visitors since 1913, was part of our itinerary on a recent, unseasonably mild, Saturday, and the sense of anticipation mounted as soon as we turned into the parklike grounds surrounding the complex. Urged by the receptionist to see the Egyptian mummy…

Reading’s Middleby Automobile—Air Cooled & on Display at Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles!

By Lisa Haggerty on Mar. 09, 2018

By Kendra Cook Curator/Manager - Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles It’s a question we often hear from visitors at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles: “Why aren’t the hoods open on the cars? We want to see the engines!” Well, this weekend, March 10 & 11, during regular hours from 9:30 am -…

Category: Local History