On Saturday September 10th I had the pleasure of visiting John Updike’s childhood home at 117 Philadelphia Avenue in Shillington. John lived here from his birth in 1932 until he was 13 years old. It is widely known that Shillington and the city of Reading were the inspirational foundation behind many of his stories and novels.
His most famous 4-part “Rabbit” novel series was set around a character living in Reading; though the locations were renamed in the book.… Read Full Article
A staple on Penn Avenue in West Lawn for nearly a half century, the owners of the Circle S Ranch House announced on March 30th that they would be closing permanently on April 8th, 2022.
The building was built in 1969 as a Schell’s. It replaced the location that was further east down Penn Avenue which was a casualty of the bypass construction of the early 1970’s.… Read Full Article
Happy Thanksgiving Berks Nostalgiacs! The holiday season is here, so here is a peek back to that time that Santa Claus flew a helicopter and landed it at City Park in Reading. It happened on this day, November 25th, 1955.
Two little girls served as a reception committee for Santa Claus after he landed his helicopter in City Park this morning.… Read Full Article
On this day, November 21st, 1953, over 50,000 gathered to watch the first ever Christmas balloon parade make its way down Penn Street in Reading. Public transportation was swamped, and it was reported that adults and children walked from as far as Wyomissing to see the spectacle.
The upper photo shows what City Park looked like prior to the Christmas balloon parade this morning.… Read Full Article
On April 10, 1910 a meeting was held in the Borough Hall building at the corner on Penn Avenue and Wyomissing Boulevard. Various speakers spoke about the need for a public recreation area, and it was decided officials would be elected to form a a committee to organize a playground association.… Read Full Article