HERE. - Reading Downtown Improvement District

Destination:
Downtown Reading!
V O L U M E
The Reading Downtown
Improvement District
office is located at 645
1 ,
I S S U E
2 0
O C T O B E R
3 0 ,
2 0 1 5
Holiday Parade, Tree Lighting
Ceremony & More Coming Up!
Penn Street, Suite 505.
Office hours: MondayFriday, 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?
It’s not too soon to be
thinking of Reading
Fire+Ice Fest!
Funded again by the
Hawley and Myrtle Quier
Fund of the Berks County
Community Foundation,
this spectacular annual
winter celebration is
scheduled for Friday,
January 15 and Saturday,
January 16 in downtown
Reading. Look for more
exciting details in upcoming editions of
“Destination: Downtown
Reading!”
We’re only weeks away from the Holiday
Parade and tree lighting ceremony in
downtown Reading!
A favorite among children of all ages,
the annual parade is scheduled for Saturday, November 21 (rain date November 28) starting at 9 a.m. at 11th and
Penn Streets and proceeding down
Penn Street to Second Street. This
year’s parade theme is “Holidays Around
the World.” The parade is presented by
the Reading Downtown Improvement
District (DID).
Our parade marshal this year is John
Ernesto, longtime general manager of
Berks Jazz Fest. John’s name may
sound familiar for another reason – he
worked for 49 years at the Reading Eagle newspaper, retiring in May 2014.
John has racked up an impressive list of
accomplishments over the years, and
Berks Jazz Fest ranks right at the top.
He has helped build it into a go-to destination for thousands of music lovers
every spring. John is also involved in
several other community-minded organi-
zations, including the Berks County Convention Center Authority Board and
Greater Reading Convention & Visitors
Board. He will be joined along the parade route and viewing stand by his wife,
Suzie.
Of course, another annual celebration
tied into the parade is the holiday tree
lighting ceremony. This year’s event is
Friday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m. at
Fifth and Penn Streets. Another DIDorganized activity, the ceremony will include music, free hot chocolate and coffee, cookies, and other surprises.
The holiday tree is being graciously donated by Barb and Pat Emmett of Godfrey’s Dogdom in Mohnton, and is being
transported for free to Fifth and Penn
Streets by Eshelman Transportation,
also in Mohnton. The city’s Public Works
Department will erect the tree and decorate it with holiday lights.
In addition to the tree at the southeast
corner of the intersection, each of the
other corners will also be decorated with
(article continued on back page)
Big-time Concert & Scary Contest Take Over Penn Street
Photo by Bill Uhrich of the Reading Eagle
Thousands of fans who attended the home opener of the Reading Royals on Saturday, October 24 received an early Halloween treat by way
of a free concert outside Santander Arena by the internationally famed
rock band Gin Blossoms (pictured above). The show was the last in a
series of Downtown Alive concerts sponsored by the Berks County
Community Foundation and organized by DID and arena personnel.
Also rocking to the music were 14 scarecrows set up in the 400 and 500
blocks of Penn Street as part of the second annual DID Scarecrow Contest. Capturing first place was an entry by the Council on Chemical
Abuse (pictured at right with some “friends.”) Runner-up was the Penn
Street Posse, followed by the Reading Public Library – Southeast
Branch. Thanks to all who participated in the contest! And special
thanks to RIZE, the contest sponsor, and our judges – Garry Lenton,
editor of the Reading Eagle's Berks Country section; Lucine Sihelnik,
director of the Penn Street Market; and Johanny Cepeda, owner of Mi
Casa Su Casa restaurant in downtown Reading.
Holiday Parade, Tree Lighting Ceremony & More!
(continued from front page) a menorah, a manger, and a Peanuts cartoon-inspired doghouse and
holiday tree.
New this year! A free holiday concert will immediately follow the parade, featuring the Ringgold
Band performing at the Historic Abraham Lincoln Hotel at Fifth and Washington Streets. The tradition-rich Ringgold Band will be playing all your holiday favorites, and Santa will be making an appearance, too! A pay-as-you-go brunch is being tentatively planned by the hotel.
The concert is being presented thanks to a grant from the Berks County Community Foundation.
Parade Grand Marshal
John Ernesto
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, the Reading Holiday Parade, 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 subscribe to this newsletter and learn more about DID on our
website at: www.downtownreading.com.