I remember it well and traveled around it many a time. At Christmas, the circle held the tree. The Reading beer sign and clock atop the Marvel Ranch at 4th and Penn was a familiar site. My sister and I traveled into Reading by bus from Sinking Spring on a Saturday occasionally to see a movie in the 1960’s on Penn St., particularly at the Embassy or Astor Theaters. We liked the Elvis, Beatles and Dave Clark Five movies seen there. They were such beautiful ornate movie palaces. The arena now there has nothing to compare except a few remnants from the Astor. We would get a hot dog and coke at Grants 5 and 10 cent store and later walk Penn St. and visit the many stores (before the days of the shopping mall). Places like Whitner’s Dept. store, Pomeroy’s Dept. store (with toy land on the 6th floor), Zipf”s Candies, Joseph’s clothes, Kresge’s Drugs and the many other stores that once existed on Penn St. Alas, those days have now faded into history as the shopping malls that replaced Penn St. are also doing so now to online shopping.

My Father owned Rose Curtain shop ( Phil Rosenblatt) in the heart of down town. Does anyone remember that store? I believe Kennedy spoke in front of the store in 1960/61. I was 7 yrs. old. We moved out of state when I was 9. Other fading memories was the smell of Hershey’s chocolate & leather tanning
Ira