here. - Reading Downtown Improvement District

Destination:
Downtown Reading!
I S S U E
The Reading Downtown
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S E P T E M B E R
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Free Latino Festival Coming Downtown September 17
Improvement District office is
located at 645 Penn Street,
Suite 505.
Office hours: Monday-Friday,
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Office number: 610-3766424
DID Ambassadors number:
484-955-0315 (Please call
this number directly for escort assistance to vehicles,
trash and leaf removal, graffiti removal, and public nuisance issues.)
DID You Know?
Hundreds of people are expected
to gather in downtown Reading
on Saturday, September 17 to
take part in Sabor Latino, a free
community event presented by
Centro Hispano that will celebrate diversity and kick off Hispanic Heritage Month in the city.
The festival will be held in the
500 block of Penn Street between noon and 8 p.m. and will
feature live music and dance
demonstrations, food and refreshments for sale, and other
activities. The block will be
A colorful scene from a previous Sabor Latino event.
closed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. the day
of the festival. (article continued on back page)
Genesius Theatre Presents
Free Play Outdoors in Reading
It’s that time of year again when
the weather turns cooler, the
leaves change colors, and
scarecrows begin popping up in
downtown Reading!
The Downtown Improvement
District is once again holding its
Scarecrow Contest along Penn
Street in center city. If you think
you have a clever or creative idea
for a scarecrow, we’d like to see
it become a reality!
This year’s contest will be tied to
a new Pumpkin Palooza festival
being planned for Saturday, October 22 in the 500 block of Penn
Street. Check our website –
www.downtownreading.com – for
more details coming soon about
both of these festive fall activities.
Members of the cast of Genesius Theatre’s free outdoor production of "In The Heights."
Genesius Theatre’s hit production of “In The Heights” is back! If you couldn’t get
tickets to the show at Genesius last month, this is your chance to catch it outdoors
and for free in downtown Reading!
The performance will be held Sunday, September 18 at 2 p.m. in the courtyard
behind Penn Square Center at Sixth and Penn Streets. Just bring a lawn chair
and sit back, relax and enjoy this wonderful Tony award-winning musical.
(article continued on back page)
Free Latino Festival Coming to Downtown on September 17
(article continued from front page)
Among the event highlights will be an appearance by Frankie Negrón, internationally-known salsa music performer who
has released several studio albums; and dance demonstrations by Daniel Egusquiza and Wanda Holdren of WH Dance
Academy in Reading.
This will be the 10th edition of the festival, which had been held at other locations prior to this year. The move to the 500
block of Penn Street is intended to reach more people and capitalize on the energy and revitalization efforts of the
downtown district, while helping revive the City of Reading through arts, music, and culture, according to Mariela Jurado,
Associate Executive Director of Centro Hispano.
In addition, this year Centro Hispano has received a grant from the Berks County Community Foundation to bring arts
and entertainment to the downtown area.
“This is the first year that the organization has received this grant and we are excited to be able to bring Sabor Latino to
the community,” Jurado said.
She added that all Latin American countries will be represented at the festival in one form or another, from food to music
to arts and dance.
“We have a variety of performances scheduled that will bring the tropical sounds of salsa, bachata, and merengue music
to the downtown,” she said. “In addition to Frankie Negrón, we have other international artists like Karlos Rose, Doble
Filo and up-and-coming artists like Luis Cooper, who will be making his first appearance in Reading,”
The festival will also include activities for families such as story time and face painting.
"Anytime we can highlight the richness and beauty of the diversity in our community it brings us all together,” said Michael Toledo, Executive Director of Centro Hispano. “This multicultural celebration is a festival for the entire community
to enjoy, to engage, and to embrace what makes our community so special and unique. Centro Hispano is proud to be
able to bring this event to the city of Reading and thanks the Berks County Community Foundation for its support."
For more information about Sabor Latino, go to www.centrohispano.org, check out the organization’s Facebook page
under Centro Hispano Daniel Torres, or call 610-685-1264.
Genesius Presenting Free Play Outdoors in Downtown Reading
(article continued from front page)
“In The Heights” is being presented in cooperation with the Reading Downtown Improvement District and the City of
Reading, and is being funded by a special grant from the Berks Arts Fund of the Berks County Community Foundation.
The performance is also being sponsored by Sweet Street Desserts – Sandy Solmon and Doug Messinger; Dave and
Melanie Mattes of the Mattes Group of Remax of Reading; United Artists Salon and Spa (hair and makeup sponsor);
and DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Reading.
“Genesius has assembled a culturally diverse mix of extremely talented young actors, singers and dancers from the
wonderful diversity that makes up Reading and Berks County,” said L J Fecho, the Artistic Producer of Genesius. “The
recent Genesius production was an overwhelming success and the show was oversold. The pure heartfelt excitement
of this show just struck a major chord within our community and I can’t wait to see it explode in downtown!”
Added Kevin Cooper, the show’s Musical Director: “It’s all told truly insightfully with a groundbreaking score filled with
spicy Latin rhythms and inventive hip-hop stylings, fused together within a traditional Broadway show. It’s an amazing
piece of musical theater that all can enjoy and celebrate.”
In case of inclement weather, the show may be moved indoors into one of the ballrooms at the DoubleTree hotel. That
decision will be made at 9 a.m. on the day of the performance and the public can find out if the show is moved by going
to the Genesius Facebook Page or to www.genesiusdifference.org. The DoubleTree will provide chairs so there won’t
be a need to bring a lawn chair for the indoor performance.
For more information go to the Genesius website or call the theatre at 610-371-8151. The play is rated PG.
The Reading Downtown Improvement District is focused on creating a vital, productive
and commercially active environment in downtown Reading. DID provides cleaning,
security, and marketing services for a specially designated commercial district in the
city, and also sponsors several events and activities throughout the year, including MidDay Cafes, Reading Holiday Parade, Downtown Alive outdoor concert series, and
Reading Fire + Ice Fest. DID continually strives to make downtown Reading a cleaner,
safer, and more inviting place to live, work, and visit. You can learn more about us on
our website at: www.downtownreading.com.