Barnyard Animal Art of Berks County

New exhibit opening at 10:00am, Saturday February 11th, 2012!
HSBC Palmer Gallery
940 Centre Avenue
Reading, PA 19601

The Historical Society of Berks County Library & Museum is pleased to announce their first special exhibit of 2012. A FIRST IN BERKS - the opening of the first permanent exhibition space for the art of Berks County. As other regional art has taken its place in their local museums and institutions, the art of Berks County will now be represented in a permanent exhibition space. For adults and children alike, this will be the beginning of a fabulous opportunity to explore and learn about the art, the artists, and the history of our region.

Guest Curator and HSBC President, Beulah Fehr, has selected paintings from the HSBC's collection, most of which have not been displayed in years. They will be joined by complementary pieces loaned from private collections. Some of the artists represented include Ferdinand Brader, John Heyl Raser, Ralph Dunkelberger, Francis Daniel Devlan, Christopher Shearer, Ben Austrian, and Charles F. Witman.

Summer on the Farm by Chrarles F. Witman, 1871.
HSBC is pleased to announce that our featured painting (above) for this exhibit has been returned after the completion of restoration! A tear in the canvas was repaired, and it has been cleaned, and the canvas lined. It looks stunning! Any funds in whole or in part to help HSBC pay for the restoration of this beautiful piece to its former glory would be most welcome.

If you are an art and history lover who would like to participate in our 'Adopt A Painting' program for this painting and a landscape by John Heyl Raser (pictured below), please call Joshua K. Blay at 610-375-4375.

Reading Community Players
403 North 11th Street
Reading, PA 19604
Saturday, January 28th, 7:00pm

One performance only!

Reading Community Players and Reading Pagans & Witches, with some wonderful local talent, are presenting a family friendly 'Variety Show' with music, dancing, comedy and some other unique acts!
Tickets are only $10.00 with RSVP called into 610-375-9106. Tickets will be available the night of the performance for $15.00, at the door.





http://www.readingcommunityplayers.com/


Reading Community Players is now in its 90th year and one of the oldest
community theaters in the state.

Be sure to watch the Historical Society's Monthly TV Program on BCTV, a one-hour presentation of old-time Reading and Berks photos, and news in general about the Historical Society and other historical groups and activities throughout the county.



The show is seen LIVE on the FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 7:00pm....and repeated Friday of the same week at 10:00pm....that Saturday at 6:00pm and that Sunday at 9:00am.
Comcast Cable Channel 13
Hamburg Cable Channel 16
Keystone Cable Channel 7

Barnyard Animal Art of Berks County Exhibit Opening
"The Art of Francis Daniel Devlan"- Program will be presented by HSBC
president Beulah Fehr.
940 Centre Avenue
Reading, PA 19601
Connor Auditorium
Saturday, February 11th, 2012




Refreshments served at 9:30am. Program begins at 10:00am.
Admission for non-members: Adult - $5.00, Senior Citizens - $4.00, Children ages 3 - 17 - $2.00 *Free to HSBC members*

160 Spring Street
Reading, PA 19601

Preserve your Family Legacy by Restoring Family Photographs
Connor Auditorium
February 11, 2012
1:00pm - 2:00pm with tour of the HJL to follow.
Admission: Members - Free, Non-member - $5.00

Discover your family heritage by preserving generations of photographs. Learn how to take care of your collection and see some examples of ways to reproduce and enhance damaged, deteriorated photographs. See some examples of how to make an album using a time line and create a story from your collection. Bring some family pictures that you may have questions about!!

Presenter: Patricia Scialo is an arts educator in the field of historic photographic techniques and offers workshops and residencies as a PA Council on the Arts visiting artist. She is the owner of "An Art Portrait," an individual family portraiture service and preservation business.



www.patriciascialo.com/


William Young Lyon...a.k.a. "Bully Lyons" photograph from The Passing Scene vol.15. This is an excellent example of how important it is to preserve your family's legacy. According to George M. Meiser IX, this formal portrait is very rare. The only other likenesses of this Reading based character are wood engravings from newspaper illustrations. Here we see Bully in all his glory. His reputation as a bully came from the period he worked as a government detective sent after deserters. It was said that he always got his man, one way or another.

*The “Why Archives Matter” Workshop, cancelled due to inclement weather on January 21st, has been postponed until March 24th at 1:00pm*

Annual Presidents Day Luncheon
Saturday February 18th, 2012
940 Centre Avenue
Reading, PA 19601
12:00pm

The Historical Society of Berks County will be hosting this year's Presidents Day Luncheon for members/prospective members and their guests, of the Berks County Chapter DAR, Governor Joseph Heister Chapter, Pennsylvania Society SAR, and Conrad Weiser Society CAR.

Luncheon will be served by VIVA restaurant and catering:
Salad with choice of home-made 4-cheese lasagna with marinara sauce, or herb encrusted chicken with fettuccine alfredo, and dessert. Cost is $30.00 per person. Please RSVP by February 13th to the Historical Society of Berks County, 610-375-4375. Credit cards can be accepted by phone.




This year's program will be presented by Jim Lewars, Director at Landis Valley Farm Museum: "Early English/German Architecture in Berks County."

The Reading Buccaneers' Program January 14th

We want to thank the Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps for putting on a great program. Judging by the big turn out, the enthusiasm and devotion of its members was obvious.










Presenting the program: Founder, Bruce Englehart; Former Director, Bruce Young; Community Liaison, Terry Rohrbach; Public Relations Director, Thomas Moore; Historian, Don Solinger
Thanks to all of their volunteers and supporters they have enjoyed repeat decades of excellence!



Pompey Moved to New Location!

For some time now we have been moving our cigar store figures from the basement up to the second floor of the museum. This has been easier said than done! The latest move of Pompey required some advanced planning. Trustee Brent Atkins, owner of Reading Box Company, designed a crating system and with his help we were able to move him safely to his new spot.

One of our most popular pieces, he was first stationed in front of Edward Lehman’s cigar store on 6th Street just south of Penn in Reading. Quite like a “bobblehead,” his head is perfectly balanced. He was purchased second hand from Philadelphia and was believed to have been carved in Germany. He was later sold by William Eaches to Alpheus R. Orth, who had his store on 5th Street below the post office, and from 1914 on, on the southwest corner of 5th and Court Streets.




Getting ready to move out of the basement!

See how happy Pompey looks about his move!

Passed the high wheeler....

Passed the horse car......

Into the elevator....

Ooops!Curator Joshua K. Blay shows by just how much Pompey will NOT fit in the elevator.....Out the loading dock doors....

....and around the building....

....in through the auditorium on the first floor....

Up to the second floor....HEAVY!

Into his new home in the model room....

Out of the crate!!

Brent Atkins and employees from Reading Box Company pose with Pompey. Whew! Thanks guys!

'Where is It' Answers!



Floyd Turner was the first to answer our previous challenge correctly, followed by Jack Yetzer, and Robert Compton. It is in the Historical Society's model of Reading on the second floor, and depicts the old court house in the center of Penn Street built in 1762 and razed in 1841. News Bits editor realizes now that this was way too easy and will be searching for something better to stump all you Berks County history buffs.

Historical Society of Berks County Museum Store
940 Centre Avenue
Reading, PA 19601
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00am-4:00pm









The Museum Store would like to announce its specials for the month of February!






Many more titles available!

*Remember, HSBC members receive an additional 10% discount.*