Bowl-O-Rama

Bowl-O-Rama opened its doors in 1957; a dream of its five shareholders who bought the land and built the alley on Perkiomen Avenue in Exeter Township. It was home to local bowling leagues, social events and gatherings over the years. There was a bar and grille in the establishment as well as 40 bowling lanes.

Bowl-O-Rama closed its doors for good on April 23, 2017, six full decades after opening.… Read Full Article

Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser –
Sports Star to Sporting Goods

Wilbur “Lefty” Reeser was born on June 28th 1918 in West Lawn to Herbert and Mary Reeser. Judging from Lefty’s senior yearbook excerpt below, he was an all-around athlete during his adolescence. During his senior year at Wilson he led Berks County in boys basketball scoring and also took the Prexies baseball team to the county title serving as their pitcher and captain.… Read Full Article

Haunted Fairgrounds Square Mall

The Fairgrounds Square Mall has itself become a ghost. It was just demolished over what will inevitably go down as the infamous Summer of 2020. The mall was on its last leg for years, and it only seemed fitting that it would meet its end in such a year as this one has been. However, if you spent any time working there over the course of its 40 year existence, you may have heard or seen things you couldn’t explain.… Read Full Article

Sinking Spring Speedway

Sinking Spring Speedway was located along Fritztown Road, between Old Fritztown and Montello Roads. It opened in August of 1948 and was a quarter-mile semi-banked dirt racetrack about a half-mile southwest of Sinking Spring. It was ran by Harry D. Weil. They hosted afternoon and night races under lighting over the summer months.

Sinking Spring Speedway
May 8th, 1949 Reading Eagle article, the inaugural stock car race of 1949 drew a crowd of 1000

The twice-deffered 1949 Sinking Spring racing inaugural has attracted a field of more than 25 drivers, mostly from Reading and Berks County, and many of the youthful pilots will be making their debut in competitive racing.Read Full Article

Berks Nostalgia