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Authored by Society president George Meiser IX |
| Posted 07-10-2003
SEVEN News-Bits of Reading-Berks historical interest…. ============== ============= ============== 1- Society exhibit on Celebrating Independence Day now open 2- Paul Specht, Sinking Spring bandleader, recorded “Baghdad” 3- Exeter Band plays old-time marches this Sat. at 11. Come! 4- More cemetery records added to our million-name database 5- Check our on-line News-Bits archive for recent photos, messages 6- Looking for 1930 “Reading Eagle” march. Anyone know of it? 7- Who recalls Dreamland Park? ============= ================= ================ ============= ================= ================ 1- On Thurs., July 3, the Society’s new exhibit---“Celebrating Old-Time Independence Day”---opened in Exhibition Hall. To kick-start the exhibit and to provide pre-holiday fun for young and old, Paul Troutman of Berkley, one of the exhibitors, gave a cannon-firing demonstration to the delight of all.  Most in the outdoor audience were of an age that had never seen old-time black-powder-power!  Society member Paul Troutman explains how a marble-shooting cannon works. The mechanism “shot” the marbles some 20 feet---in rapid-fire succession. An amazing toy!  Entrance to Exhibition Hall and the new exhibit:  These 19th century toy cap pistols, with "amusing moving parts" are among the rarest items in the exhibit.  The exhibit will continue until the end of August. ================ ================== ============ 2- Popular band leader Paul Specht recorded “Baghdad” for the Columbia record company around 1924. When it surfaced recently on eBay, your editor snagged it---in part due to its timely nature. The recording had to be abbreviated somewhat to keep the file below 100KB. Hear “Baghdad,” given as “Bagdad” on the record label.  Specht, born and buried in Sinking Spring (behind St. John’s Lutheran church), was one of the most popular band leaders of his time,1922 to 1932, and a serious rival of both Paul Whiteman and Vincent Lopez. Specht had over 100 recordings to his credit. Thanks to Society member Paul Miller of Montello, the Society has some 60. ================ ================= ============== 3- This coming Saturday, July 11th, at 11 a.m., the Exeter Office of the Leesport National Bank will be opened to the public. To make the occasion a more festive affair, bank officials engaged the ExeterCommunity Band to provide a program featuring lots of marches and concert band favorites, including Sousa’s “Liberty Bell” and G. Robert Rehrer’s “Our City Fathers.” Baked goods and other foods will be available. Bring a folding chair. The office is along Perkiomen Ave., opposite the entrance to Boscov’s and Staples. The building originally was Sweet William, an ice cream emporium, erected perhaps 20 or 25 years ago. It’s been modified numerous times. For banking purposes, the structure has been rebuilt extensively. ============ ================== ================ 4- Doug Reinert, the gentleman who oversees the Society’s web- site, has added several thousand new names into our cemetery file. www.berkshistory.org/histsoc/cem/html Also recheck: www.berkshistory.org/histsoc/churches.html ============== ============= ================== 5- Many new Society members are receiving News-Bits for the first time today. To see past News-Bits, that include photos and more, see: www.berkshistory.org/histsoc/news_archive/ ================== ================ =============== 6- Today’s (Thursday’s) Reading Eagle, on page one of the 2nd section (“B”), carries an informative article by Joe Farrell regarding a quest for sheet music (band parts) for Geo. Robert Rehrer’s 1930 march, “The Reading Eagle.” It was played often in 1930 and for several years afterwards, but then it seems to have disappeared. The march was never printed because of the expense involved. Ringgold Band members, and probably Shrine Band members, played the piece from manuscript copies. Can anyone provide a lead to the whereabouts of any band parts to this march? If so, email gmmix@berkshistory.org. =============== =============== =============== 7- Herewith is a ticket for Dreamland Park, which was located along the Pricetown Road. Little remains to mark the site today. The ticket makes reference to “a theatre.” What theatre?  What all was there in its heyday? Your editor attended a plumbers’ picnic there in the late 1940s, as a guest of the late Nate Portelli, 500 West Douglass St., Reading. All that comes to mind from that one short visit is one very large pavilion--- with all the hot dogs you could eat! ================== ============== =================== ================== gmmix ======= end =========== |
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