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TEN News-Bits of Reading-Berks historical interest... ====================================== 1- Society’s monthly television program WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5 at 7 2- FIRST THURSDAY program this THURSDAY, Feb. 6 at 9 a.m. 3- Annual YOUTH CONCERT this Saturday night at 7:30 4- This TUES. , Feb. 11th at 1:30 - free program on "Sleds" 5- Children’s Workshop -Sat., Feb. 15th at 10 a.m. ($4) on "Berks County and the Underground Railroad." 6- Lots of BOONE family data/articles added to web-site 7- New LINCOLN material added to web-site also 8- Nearly 5,000 new entries added to our on-line church records 9- Nearly 1,600 new entries to our on-line cemetery records 10- Mt. Penn Borough’s old-time slide/memorabilia night Feb. 22 ======================================= 1- The Society’s monthly BCTV television show will feature, among other things, Society member James L. Shulman who brings audio clips and wonderful old photos to add interest to his salute to the 90th anniversary of the Reading Symphony Orchestra. The tv program is this WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5th, at 7 p.m. You with fast computers can watch the program anywhere in the world by accessing:- http://www.berkshistory.org/realaudio/hill.ram The video image is better late at night and early in the morning. ======================================== 2- The Society’s FIRST THURSDAY program for this Thursday, Feb. 6, features Professor Harry D. Eshelman, editor of the popular "Bookends" library publication and president of Wallace Stevens Poetry Society. Mr. Eshelman’s topic is "Voices of the Poets in Berks County." First Thursday begins with a light breakfast at 8:30. The talk begins at 9 and ends by 10. EVERYONE welcome. Come and bring a friend. =========================================== 3- The Annual YOUTH CONCERT---sponsored by the Music Club of Reading-Berks, the Historical Society of Berks County, and the Reading Symphony Orchestra League---will take place THIS SATURDAY evening, February 8th, at 7:30. This is a free concert. YOU ARE INVITED. Six winners in a recent musical competition, all extraordinarily talented, will entertain us....on violin, piano, flute, and clarinet. Three males and three females, ranging in age from 14 to 18, are participating. Pictured herewith is Matthew Consul, a 9th grader at The Hill School, who will play a violin solo...a part of the Sonata No. 1 in G Major by Brahms. He will be accompanied by Becky Gass- Butler, pianist for the Reading Symphony Orchestra. Matt’s proficiency is such that he will be playing with the RSO next October. Your hosts for the evening are Debbie Pyle & Geo. M. Meiser, IX. And, yes, there are refreshments afterwards! =========================================== 4- This coming Tuesday, Feb. 11th, at l:30, there will be a free program at the Historical Society. The speaker will be John M. Ketner; his topic is "The Sled Maker." This is the gentleman from the main street of Oley Village who has been making old-fashioned sleds that sell all over the world. He’s been featured a number of times on news magazine television programs that highlight the work of exceptional craftsmen. You are invited. ======================================= 5- On Saturday, Feb. 15th, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the Society is offering a special program: "Berks County and the Underground Railroad." Participants in this Children’s Educational Workshop will use "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" as a base for hands-on activity. Fee for children, ages 7 to 14, is $4. Any questions? Call Mrs. Heffner at the Society at 610 - 375 - 4375. ======================================= 6- We receive an endless number of questions about the Boones of Exeter, Berks County. Doug Reinert, the genial attendant of this Internet service, has just added SIX Boone-related stories and articles to our home page. To see what’s there, access: http://www.berkshistory.org/histsoc and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. There you’ll find all the articles that are provided for your edification. ==================================== 7- A new Lincoln article has also been added to our home page. Do exactly as indicated at #5 above. The Lincoln article is the last one at the bottom of the page. ==================================== 8- The aforementioned Doug Reinert, who keeps adding wonderful things to the home-page offerings, informs me that recently he went through the Society’s vital statistics master-file and extracted another 5,000 entries to add to our on-line church records. So, if you haven’t checked the church records lately to see whether any more of your ancestors have been added, it might pay you to investigate. http://www.berkshistory.org/histsoc/churches.html We mentioned some six months ago that the Society usually has two people adding data into the vital statistics database EVERY DAY. Hundreds of names are added weekly. ======================================= 9- As is noted in #7 above, much has been added to the vital statistic file. There are about 1600 new cemetery entries. To check, access: http://www.berkshistory.org/histsoc/cem/html ====================================== 10- As careful readers of News-Bits know, Mount Penn Borough is now celebrating its 100th anniversary. Events have been planned almost throughout the year. For many of us, the most interesting evening will be Saturday, February 22nd, at 7 p.m. --in the auditorium of St. Catharine’s church auditorium, 23rd and Perkiomen Ave. There will be a major slide presentation. Visitors are encouraged to bring old photos and memorabilia for show and tell. All welcome. =========== gmmix ===== end ===============

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