Cathedral Heights: The Grand Plan That Reshaped North Reading—Just Not as Intended
In late 1925, a quiet real-estate transaction set the stage for one of Reading’s most ambitious—yet ultimately transformed—urban visions. [...]
Thorn Alley debuts at GoggleWorks
GoggleWorks Center for the Arts cut the ribbon on Thorn Alley, a new open-air performance stage tucked inside the [...]
From Kemp’s Woods to Kutztown Park: A Full, Living History
At the turn of the twentieth century, the tract locals knew as Kemp’s Grove (also Kemp’s Woods) was the [...]
Screpesi’s Sandwich Shop: A Reading Tradition Since 1949
Screpesi’s Sandwich Shop in Reading, Pennsylvania—founded in August 1949 by Joseph and Stella Screpesi—has delighted locals for over seventy-five years [...]
Mary’s Dog House: A Local Legend on St. Lawrence Avenue
There are certain places that, though gone, remain etched in memory—not for their architecture or their menus alone, but [...]
Did You Boscov Today? — How a Catchphrase Turned a Slow Month into a Shopping Phenomenon
Few retail promotions have ever captured the public imagination like Boscov’s famous April tradition: “Did You Boscov Today?” What [...]
The Man Who Made Shopping Fun: The Life and Legacy of Albert Boscov
On February 10, 2017, Albert Boscov left this world as he had lived in it—sharing love. His final words [...]
Reading, Pennsylvania: The City That Nullified the Dry Law
In 1929, at the height of Prohibition, Reading, Pennsylvania was pictured as a city where the Volstead Act was [...]
Speakeasies to Supermoms: A Stumble Through Berks County’s 20th Century
Alright folks, buckle up your Locomobile steamers and put your quarters in the gas meter, because we're taking a [...]
Prohibition in Reading and Berks County: A City Awash with Beer, Bribes, and Bootleggers
Few American towns captured the contradictions of Prohibition as vividly as Reading, Pennsylvania. Between the dawn of the Volstead [...]
From Iron Plantation to Scout Paradise to State Park: The Story of Hopewell Furnace and Camp Hopewell
In the woodlands south of Reading, Pennsylvania, the landscape around French Creek tells two quintessentially American stories. One is [...]
Hawk Mountain Council History: 1908 to the Present Day
Hawk Mountain Council, BSA—serving Berks and Schuylkill counties and the Panther Valley region of Carbon County—stands as a local [...]
Pizza Italia: A Cornerstone of North 14th Street Since 1973
Pizza Italia at 1528 North 14th Street has anchored its block for more than half a century, the kind [...]
Reading Roller Derby to Host First-Ever Music Festival: RDG Jam Fest 2025
Reading Roller Derby is turning up the volume this fall with their first-ever music festival, set for Sunday, September [...]
The Orange Car of Reading: A Citrus Landmark at Front & Court
In the late 1930s, a little tin shack tucked by the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks at Front & Court Streets [...]
Did You Boscov Today? — The Slogan That Turned Shopping into a Berks County Ritual
Here in Berks County, we didn’t just shop at a department store—we “Boscov’d.” The playful question “Did you Boscov [...]
Bell Alley Soft Pretzels: the coal-fired shop that fed South Reading for 74 years (1945–2019)
Tucked behind Saints Cyril and Methodius R.C. Church along the narrow, brick-paved run of Bell Alley, a few steps [...]
Barrio Alegria & Neighbors Lead the Way at Reading Iron Playground
Barrio Alegría, through its South of Penn Initiative, has worked with residents of the South of Penn neighborhoods for [...]
Generations at the Hearth: The History of ATV Bakery in Reading
ATV’s story begins with Sicilian baker Paolo (Paul) Alberti, who emigrated from Palermo to Reading and opened Alberti’s Bakery [...]
West Reading Fall Fest
Just days before the official first day of autumn, West Reading’s Fall Fest returns for its 19th year on [...]
Reading Aviation Expo 2025: Reviving a Legacy in the Skies
Half a century ago, Reading Regional Airport was the beating heart of America’s air show scene. In 1975, it [...]