The city of Reading is joining forces with Reading Pride and the LGBTQ+ community to host Reading’s first Pride March and Rally on Saturday. The event begins at 10 a.m. with a flag raising at City Hall and continues with a march to City Park to celebrate with a picnic that will include performances and speeches.
Reading Pride’s annual festival has outgrown its longtime home in Centre Park and relocated to a venue outside the city. In announcing this week’s event, Mayor Eddie Moran said city leaders were eager to continue hosting events in support of Reading Pride.
“Reading Pride made a commitment to myself, City Council, and the community not to forget their original home, and they have certainly stayed true to their word,” he said. “The organization has evolved to become more than the most significant LGBTQ+ Pride festival in the area but is now making history by bringing the inaugural “Pride March & Rally” to the City of Reading.”
For more information, go to www.readingpridecelebration.org/calendar/2023/6/3/1st-reading-pride-march-and-rally
Arts tour
The Hawk Mountain Arts Tour will take place Saturday, June 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tour includes more than 30 artists and businesses stationed throughout the Kempton valley plus a satellite location hosted by the Hamburg Area Arts Alliance at Etchberger Memorial Park.
Stops include local businesses and studios hosting artists who will display their work. The free driving tour takes place within a 25-mile radius of Albany Township, and a printable map of the stops can be found at hawkmountain.org/artstour. Printed maps will also be available to pick up at the Sanctuary’s Visitor Center, which is the first stop on the tour featuring six local artisans. Visitors will be able to purchase pieces and products at most stops.
Library art event
The Wernersville Public Library invites artists of all ages to showcase their artistic talents throughout the summer. The library will provide supplies that include mini canvas, paints and brushes at no cost. The last day to bring back your canvas is July 31. Participants may explore any materials, including pages from magazines, fabrics, photos, etc., to combine methods of art
A voting session will take place in early August. Winners will be announced in all four age groups at the library’s closing party on Aug. 20. Winners will receive a Longwood Gardens pass.
For more information, call 610-678-8771 or email wernersvillepl@berks.lib.pa.us The library is located at 100 N. Reber St.
Board appointment
Susan Stalnecker has been elected to serve on the Breast Cancer Support Services of Berks County Board of Directors.
A fundraising consultant for The Heritage Resident Benefit Fund and former development and public relations administrator for Prospectus Associates, Inc. Stalnecker has more than 20 years experience in the nonprofit arena, having also worked for Opportunity House, the Easter Seal Society, and the American Heart Association. She has served as a BCSS volunteer, co-chairing the organization’s fund development committee. As a board member she will be chairperson of that committee.
Polish Open golf
The Polish American Heritage Association will hold its annual Polish Open Golf Tournament fundraiser on Saturday, June 17, at Manor Golf Club, Spring Township. The scramble format starts at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $90 per golfer and includes greens fee, cart, lunch, dinner, refreshments, tee gift and prizes.
Proceeds support the Polish American Cultural Center at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. For more information, call 610-779-5523. Deadline is June 7.
Wellness celebration
The Widoktadwen Center for Native Knowledge, City of Reading Public Works and state Department of Health present the inaugural Good Medicine Indigenous Wellness Celebration on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Riverfront Park in Reading. Learn about Native American approaches to health and wellness and connect with local nonprofit and healthcare resources.
The event kicks off at 10 a.m. with a Rally for the River sponsored by American Rivers and co-hosted by Barrio Alegrίa and Berks Nature. Speakers to teach about the history of the Schuylkill River and how our health is connected to the health of the land and water. There will be some river-related public art surprises. This family-friendly event is free and open to all.
Registration is open for health and wellness exhibitors, speakers, and performers. Visit widoktadwen.org/events/ for more info. This event is sponsored in part by a grant from United Way of Berks County, Natural Awakenings Magazine, and Wildcraft Landscapes.
Wyomissing library
The following programs are scheduled this week at the Wyomissing Public Library. Each program begins at 6 p.m. Admission is free.
On Tuesday, the Reading Branch of the American Association of University Women will present the 2023 LUNAFEST, a 90-minute program of seven short films by and about women. The filmmakers are from all walks of life, from poets to conservationists and activists to educators. The films tackle universal themes of friendship, bravery and community while breaking down barriers and celebrating the importance of finding joy. There will be time for conversation after the films.
Dr. Olapeju Simoyan is an addiction medicine specialist who believes in using the arts for education and to enhance the healing process. On Wednesday she will talk about her three new books, how she came to write and illustrate them with her photos of nature and how we can all learn from nature. The books include one for children, one for personal reflection and one for personal transformation. All incorporate the world of butterflies. There will be books available for purchase.
“She Looked to the Sky” will be the subject of Frances Dean Nolde’s presentation at the library on Thursday. The book, which will be available for purchase, is the story of her mother, Frances Dean Wilcox Nolde, a pioneer aviator and commander of the Reading Courier Station in the Pennsylvania Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Frannie, a mother of seven, challenged male dominance at a time when a woman’s place was thought to be in the home.
Registration is requested for each of the programs; email ann@wyopublib.org, or call the library at 610-374-2385. The library is closed on Memorial Day
Museum open house
The Leesport Area Historical Society Museum, 128 Main St., will hold an open house Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit the 1858 schoolhouse that served the community until 1961. The tour includes a mid-20th century classroom and a museum room including a rare printing press, a 1757 Quaker marriage certificate, local advertising signage and wedding photos and memorabilia.
Garden improvements
The Cultivating Community at Oakbrook gardening efforts, sponsored by the 18th Wonder Improvement Association, has added two new raised garden beds that are accessible for people who use wheelchairs and walkers.
The beds were designed and constructed by Burkey Construction and made possible by a grant from the United Way of Berks County. The group was assisted by members of the Reading Climate Corps. The project has 34 flourishing plots providing more than 2,000 square feet of space for cultivation. The goal is to encourage the community to enjoy the experience of growing their own food in a beautiful, nonthreatening environment, where people of all ages can interact with nature and each other while enhancing food security.
All members of the community are invited to participate. For information, please contact residents18thw@gmail.com or @urbangardenoakbrook on Facebook.
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Source: Berkshire mont
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