Berks County Living August 2022

REGION’S PREMIER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

BERKS VISIONARIES MEET 3 UNIQUE

s r e k Ma AIMING HIGH

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Live and Grow with us this Summer!

At The Heritage of Green Hills, our goal is to keep our residents active and engaged by nurturing the body, mind, and spirit. Our independent living and personal care offer wellness-focused opportunities to help you feel your best!

And we are growing! Opening in 2022, our new Personal Care and Memory Care building will offer more ways to serve you or your loved one.

Are you ready to grow with us?

Call our community at 484-577-3076 to learn more or schedule your tour today.

200 Tranquility Lane Shillington, PA 19607 484-577-3076 www.HeritageofGreenHills.com

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contents AUGUST 2022

46

features

24 Aiming High

How local college and university staff advocate for community and student success.

36

departments 8 AROUND TOWN • Berks Bits

• The Albert & Eunice Boscov Film Theatre

• In the Limelight with Author Layne Deemer

36 Meet the Makers

Three Berks County-based crafters imbuing art into everyday life.

plus: 4

• Check It: 9 Ways to Celebrate the Arts

• Thoughts from the Chamber

13 FIVE THINGS

EARLY LEARNING CENTER SPOTLIGHT pg. 22

AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

Local Bands

BEAUTY ARTISTS SPOTLIGHT pg. 35

40 14 THIS MONTH

What to Do & Where to Go

18 THE LOOK

Stitch Your Own Fashion

40 LIVING IN STYLE Bringing Italy to a Berks Backyard

46 DINING OUT

Berkshire Family Restaurant

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROFILES pg. 20

VOLUME 23, NO. 8 | AUGUST 2022

PRESIDENT/CEO Paul Prass VICE PRESIDENT/COO Lisa Prass PUBLISHER Robyn L. Jones EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nikki M. Murry ART DIRECTOR Quynh Fisher CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Heather Baver Jon Fassnacht Donna Reed Christina J. Steffy Marian Frances Wolbers CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Tania Colamarino, Ama Photography Heidi Reuter John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES Elizabeth Beebe Denise Conlin Sue Ottenheimer Sara Woodward ACCOUNTING Donna Bachman Sarah Varano

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484-709-1177

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CIRCULATION MANAGER Andrea Karges COPY EDITOR Gigi Romano

In partnership with:

DESIGNS & PUBLISHING

2021

how to contact us EDITORIAL: We want to hear from you – we really do! Send your compliments, gripes, story ideas and suggestions to: Editor, Berks County Living, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, 201 Washington St., Suite 525, Reading, PA 19601 OR BCLEditor@ BerksCountyLiving.com. Written correspondence must be signed and include a mailing address, telephone number and an email address, when possible.

ADVERTISING: To request a media kit or receive other information about advertising, email RJones@BerksCountyLiving.com.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: For new subscriptions, changes of address or questions involving an existing subscription, call 800.896.1392, Mon-Fri, 9am-4:30pm, EST. High-quality reprints of articles that appear in Berks County Living are available by emailing RJones@BerksCountyLiving.com. Back issues are available subject to inventory.

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FIND US ONLINE: To contact our staff, get advertising information, obtain writer and photographer guidelines, submit an event for the Calendar of Events, or to be included in the Dining Guide, visit our website: www.BerksCountyLiving.com.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Berks County Living, PO Box 2548, Orlando, FL 32802. Berks County Living (ISSN 1542-9334) is published monthly

by IDP Publications, 3245 Freemansburg Avenue, Easton, PA 18045-7118. Annual subscriptions are $19.95. (Canadian and foreign one year rate is $40, US funds only). Single copy price $3.95. Periodical postage paid at Easton, PA and additional mailing office. All contents © Berks County Living 2021. Nothing contained herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Publisher disclaims all responsibility for omissions or errors. All rights reserved. We welcome, but cannot be responsible for, unsolicited manuscripts, contributions, or photographs. Unsolicited materials cannot be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Printed in USA.

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berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

5

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

This year we’ve put a bit of a twist on our education-themed issue and added coverage of the arts in Berks for equal measure. The area is rich with opportunities to experience both, after all.

On page 24, see what the leaders at the area colleges and universities are up to, and how it’s impacting students and the surrounding communities. And on page 36 meet three residents creating amazing pieces that you just might be inspired to make part of your home.

Looking for more opportunities to enjoy the arts in a variety of genres? We have plenty of them in our Check It list on page 11. You may also be inspired to start creating your own fashions when you view the knitted and crocheted pieces in The Look on page 18. Bonus: we’ll connect you with a couple of spots to sign up for a class!

For those of you inspired by nature and beautiful blooms, we have just the feature for you with this month’s Living In Style. Flip to page 40 to go inside the Tuscan-inspired property owned by Roberto and Amber Campitelli. It’s swoon-worthy to say the least.

Finally, don’t forget to cast your vote online by the end of the month and tell us who your Best of Berks are! We’ll announce this year’s winners in our December issue.

Best,

One More Thing

Want to know who’s up-and-coming in the Berks business world?

Meet the Young Professionals on page 20.

NIKKI M. MURRY She/Her/Hers

Editor-in-Chief NMurry@BerksCountyLiving.com

If you could take an arts or crafts class, what would it be?

“I’d love to take a calligraphy class or a decorative writing class.

It looks so elegant!”

– Robyn L. Jones, publisher “I'd take a pottery class. I remember taking one in high school and I really enjoyed it, but I haven’t had another class since.”

– Quynh Fisher, art director “It would definitely be learning how to paint. I think it could be a very soothing activity.”

– Elizabeth Beebe, account executive “I’d love to take a professional photography course, and I would love to apply it by taking photos of animals and nature.”

– Nikki M. Murry, editor “Hmm…I think I’d learn how to sew.”

– Sara Woodward, account executive

On BerksCountyLiving.com: Whip Up Delicious Recipes. They’re healthy, too! Browse Calm Eats by Wyomissing resident Daniela Modesto in our blog section. Browse Past Issues. Just click the “Issue Archive” link and flip through months past, share with friends, post articles to social media and more. Get Bonus Content. It’s free! Sign up to be a BCL Insider and get our monthly e-newsletter, info on special events and more. Just click the homepage icon.

ON THE COVER EXPLORE WITH US.

Follow along on Instagram as we share delicious foods, shopping discoveries, attend events and more.

Just search BCLMag.

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

EAT FRESH.

In need of some inspiration?

Visit our “Sensational Salad Recipes” board on Pinterest.

Search Berks County Living Magazine.

FACEBOOK FOLLOW.

Keep up with Reading Civic Theatre and what’s happing at the next Exeter Township location by following @ReadingCivicTheater.

REGION’S PREMIER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

BERKS VISIONARIES MEET 3 UNIQUE

Makers AIMING HIGH

Fun,

FANTASTIC MEALS

AT AREA COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

AT BERKSHIRE FAMILY RESTAURANT

Go inside

AN ITALIAN-INSPIRED VILLA

August 2022

Meet Jane Runyeon, photographed by Heidi Reuter, and two other extraordinary talents in our Meet the Makers feature starting on page 36.

NIKKI’S PHOTO BY TANIA COLAMARINO, AMA PHOTOGRAPHY | MAKEUP BY THERESA VIOLETTE

Education + Arts = A Well-Rounded Issue

Staff Speaks

A n EducAtion thAt L Asts A L ifEtimE tAkEs P LAnning We provide expert advice on: School and college admissions Career counseling Gap years Enrichment Summer programs Academic problem-solving

i nformEdE ducAtionAL s oLutions .com

610.781.4699

EDWARD J. KUHN, JR., SUPERVISOR

MICHAEL R. KUHN, SUPERVISOR

SAMANTHA K. SMITH, SUPERVISOR

CHRISTOPHER W. WARKER, SUPERVISOR

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

7

AROUND TOWN BERKS BITS

Reading Civic Theatre Has New Home

An Entrepreneurial Dream Come True

American Barber and Beauty Academy was born from the passion of George Ortiz, Jr., who grew up on the south side of Reading. The front of his house was home to his mother’s business, Norma’s Beauty Salon. But when it came time to chart his career course, Ortiz started by attending college for business. After a couple of years, he pivoted and enrolled in barber school to obtain his license.

Explains Ortiz, “Barbering was always a passion, but being in business for myself — being an entrepreneur — was who I felt I was. I had a burning desire to achieve that at an early age.

At 21, I asked my grandmother to cosign a $5,000 loan that allowed me to open my first barbershop, New Style Barber Studio in Shillington.” The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Ortiz runs American Barber and Beauty Academy, a 10,000-square-foot facility featuring a student salon, spa and barbershop in the former AW Golden Building in Reading. The business was recently awarded top honors by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance for Entrepreneurial Excellence. Want to enroll or visit for a discounted service?

Visit americanbarberbeauty.com.

– NIKKI M. MURRY

Originated in 1914, Reading Civic Theatre is experiencing a rebirth of sorts with a move to a new space. Read on and learn more.

1From .

Film to Stage.

OPENING SOON The Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research

Set to debut this month at Kutztown University is The WellsRapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research, a 13,250-squarefoot facility that will house 2,100 square feet of performing space and rooms dedicated to each of the specialized collections of rare marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, bells and chimes in the university’s current collection, which was developed over the past three decades. The Center is named for Dr. Willis M. Rapp, who created the KU Percussion Studies department in 1986. Dr. Rapp retired in 2013. The Center was originally established in 2014 with the acquisition of a collection of instruments, music and memorabilia from the estate of Clair Omar Musser, a legendary performer and conductor of 100-piece marimba orchestras at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and the International Marimba Symphony Orchestra of 1935.

The $6.4 million working facility will be open to both students and researchers. – NIKKI M. MURRY

The performing group will now call the old FOX Theater space in Exeter Township home. The location houses rehearsal space as well as plenty of onsite free and safe parking and much more.

2See. a Show in 2022.

September will see performers put on the classic Guys and Dolls and The Full Monty will close out the year in December.

3.

Support the Arts.

Whether you’re looking to volunteer or to make a monetary donation to the group, all help is appreciated as ticket sales alone cannot support the expenses taken on by the nonprofit.

Want to learn more? Visit online at readingcivic.org.

Ten Years of Music Lessons in Boyertown

If you’re in search of an experienced and talented instrument teacher in Berks, you’ll find it in Boyertown. Funky Frets, celebrating its 10-year anniversary, is the brainchild of jazz musician Curt Sheller, his wife, Bernadette, and their daughter, Kelly Thompson. Today, Funky Frets is a multifaceted operation.

What started as a music store is now a retail space, repair shop and school of sorts. Says Kelly, “We moved to a larger space that accommodates more studio rooms for private lessons, group classes and an event space for touring artists and teachers to perform. Funky Frets strives to create a space that welcomes those interested in learning to play their first instrument to musicians who want to gather with other like-minded individuals to perform and try out new material at our monthly open mics in a warm and welcoming environment.” Private lessons are available for ukulele, guitar, drums, piano, banjo, bass, guitar and mandolin. For more info visit funkyfrets.com.

– NIKKI M. MURRY

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

Concerts for a Cause

Head out to Bethany Children’s Home this month for free concerts to support the nonprofit organization. All that is requested is a parking donation of $5 per car. Rain or shine. This month will feature The Uptown Band on Aug. 5 and Sloth Love Chunk on Aug. 12. Both shows start at 7pm. For more info visit bethanyhome.org/ summer-concert-series.

AROUND TOWN

New Ways to Get People Engaged

The Albert & Eunice Boscov Film Theatre

Thinking Outside the Box Office

BY JON FASSNACHT | PHOTO COURTESY GOGGLEWORKS CENTER FOR THE ARTS

T

he official title of GoggleWorks Center for the Arts’ theater pays tribute to Albert Boscov, the local business titan and philanthropist who tirelessly worked to transform and revitalize Reading.

The new manager for the Albert & Eunice Boscov Film Theatre, which screens independent and international films often ignored by multiplexes, hopes to tap into its namesake’s spirit to spur another transformation.

“I just want to really drive home that there’s so much opportunity for this space, and it can be really flexible,” says Lady Strongman, who has led the 125-seat venue since October. “My dream is that we’ll continue to expand what we think of when we think of the Boscov Film Theatre. As much as I don’t want to change the name, I do want to invite all types of art and performance into this space.”

Strongman, a Reading native — he officiated a wedding in 2012 in the very theater he now manages — received degrees in theater and English from Muhlenberg College and Arizona State University. He spent nearly a decade in Denver, CO, before returning home last year, just in time to apply for the job opening at the theater.

“This is just such a special place,” he says. “It’s such a gift to Reading and to this area. And I’m just gobsmacked that I meet people who still don’t know about the theater or GoggleWorks. So I’m feeling humbled to be a part of this organization, but also seeing that we still have a lot of work in terms of getting ourselves out there.”

The last few years have required cinema operators to exhibit an unprecedented level of flexibility. First came the exponential rise in streaming services. And then, of course, came COVID. Strongman says the theater, which opened in 2005, is holding its own.

“I make the joke that I’m the crazy person who elected into managing a film theater during a pandemic,” he says. “We’re doing okay.

It’s definitely less about COVID now and more about kind of battling that COVID complacency of everything getting a lot easier to do from home. So we’ve been thinking of new ways to get people engaged.”

Those have included: • Building Justice in Berks, a free criminal justice film series that included talkback sessions with local officials.

• The LGBT + PlaywRIGHTing Series, a partnership between Reading Theater Project, the LGBT Center of Greater Reading and GoggleWorks.

• The return of the Reading PRIDE film series.

• Throwback Thursday, featuring a classic film screened on the last Thursday of each month paired with a themed event, e.g., Clue with a costume party and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with a Golden Ticket raffle benefiting the Children’s Home of Reading.

Strongman hopes to use his background in performing arts to eventually stage cabaret shows at the theater — and anything else that can help the arts center make a difference.

“Despite its size and scope, GoggleWorks is still a nonprofit with a pretty cool mission of transforming lives with unique interactions with art,” he says. “And I think that this theater space specifically nestled inside that larger operation has such an opportunity to create events that are really transformative for people.”

FUN FACTS COVID Creative. After reopening following the 2020 COVID lockdown, the theater got creative to keep patrons entertained and safe. One offering allowed gamers to rent the theater to play video games on the big screen.

For the Love of Film. Albert Boscov made his first nickel catching bugs for his father or grandfather. He spent it on the movies and it remained a love throughout his life. – Levi Landis, GoggleWorks executive director.

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

9

AROUND TOWN IN THE LIMELIGHT You write thrillers and romance novels. Which of your novels are you most proud of? I’m very drawn to thrillers; I’ve written three and have ideas for more. But my contemporary romance novel Life Forgotten is the book I’m most proud of. It’s probably my least read book because of the uncomfortable topic; the protagonist is a caregiver for her mother who is battling Alzheimer’s disease.

Many of the events are based on my personal experience caring for my mother when she battled Alzheimer’s.

Do you have a favorite character in your novels? My favorite character is Jeanette Singleton in Decompose. She’s this cross between June Cleaver and Dexter Morgan — a forty-something housewife and mother who enjoys gardening and is secretly a vigilante serial killer.

How would you describe your writing process? I try to write every day or every other day. I’m a “pantser,” meaning I write by the seat of my pants. I don’t write with a plot in mind. I get inside the head of a character, and I write and see where it takes me. I love it when I write a twist I didn’t see coming because I let the character guide me.

IN THE LIMELIGHT WITH

Layne Deemer, Author

BY CHRISTINA J. STEFFY | PHOTO COURTESY LAYNE DEEMER

Local author Layne Deemer describes herself as a genre-less author. She doesn’t stick to one type of writing, and this makes it even more exciting as she gets inside the heads of her characters and watches her stories take shape.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? I’ve always enjoyed writing. In eighth grade, I shared a poem with my English teacher, and she told me how good it was.

After that, I just kept writing. I started with poetry and short stories and then moved to novels. At that time, the only way to publish was to get an agent and query a large publisher.

That was overwhelming, so I didn’t publish. But now in the age of Amazon self-publishing and indie [independent] publishing, I decided to do it.

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Just write. Set a schedule and write every day even for as little as 15 minutes. Get your words on the page. It sounds so simple, but it really isn’t because we let fear stop us from writing. One of my favorite indie authors gave me similar advice when I told her I wanted to be a writer. She said, “If you want to write, then write. When you write, you’re a writer.” That stuck with me because I realized it’s writing, not publishing, that makes you a writer. But you have to get the words on the page.

When you’re not writing, how do you relax and have fun? I’m an avid reader, so when I’m not writing, I’m typically reading.

I also love hanging out with my husband and kids.

LEARN MORE. Author events. If you’re looking to host a book signing or local author event, Layne is available. Contact her through her website laynedeemer.com.

Find her books. Layne publishes through the Kindle Unlimited program.

Her books are available in print and electronically on Amazon.

CHECK IT

AROUND TOWN

9 WAYS to celebrate

THE ARTS

BY NIKKI M. MURRY

Berks is blessed to be rich with opportunities for enjoying arts

in an array of mediums and genres. Want to explore them a bit?

1

We have some ideas to get you started…

Visit Kutztown. Whether you are a

burgeoning artist looking to connect with others making a living with their trade or you’re just aiming to take in a gallery show, this is a great place to do it. Don’t miss the Keith Haring artwork on the wood flooring. newartsprogram.org

2

Pottery Party. Are you a parent to a

youngster that enjoys hands-on activities?

If you answered “yes,” a stop at The Art Room in West Reading is a must. You can even book a birthday party for your child and friends. theartroomwestreading.com

3

Go GoggleWorks. Head to downtown

Reading to catch an independent film, to take a glassblowing class, to meet artists in their studios and much more. Special events like Pumpkinpalooza and Arts Festival Reading are held annually as well. goggleworks.org

4

Knit Something New. Whether you’re

a beginner or in need of a refresher session, you can find a knitting class to suit you at The Yarn Gallery in West Reading. Make a shawl or hat, or even learn to crochet. yarngal.com

5

6

Galleries Galore. Be it in downtown Hamburg, West Reading or the City of Reading, there are countless galleries to explore and art exhibits to enjoy. And don’t forget the Reading Public Museum with rotating exhibits offered year-round.

7

Free Concerts. Berks Arts hosts free

concerts in Reading’s City Park each July with its Bandshell Concert Series. Grab your lawn chairs and a picnic blanket and enjoy a new genre of music each week. Don’t forget to bring a donation to show your support. berksarts.org

8

Home to Art & Artists. Showcasing

the work of fine artists in themed exhibits and offering workshops and classes for writers, visual artists and more – that’s Studio B in Boyertown. studiobbb.org

9

Festival Find. Penn Avenue in West Reading is the place to be each June if you’re an art enthusiast. Countless vendors line the streets for Art on the Avenue. You can also enjoy musical performances, delicious eats and more. visitwestreading.com

Fun in Fleetwood. At ANITATrinket in

The Barrel Loft Workshop Space, sign up for a class or workshop that could include painting or even pierogi making! Stay tuned to the upcoming schedule online. anitatrinket.com

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

11

AROUND TOWN THOUGHTS FROM THE CHAMBER ALLIANCE

You’ve Got a Friend in the Chamber

BY AUDREY KRUPIAK, Digital Marketing Coordinator, GRCA

The Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) connects you with a community of individuals (or friends) committed to the growth and vitality of Berks County. As I write that sentence the song You’ve Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman popped into my head. With two boys ages six and three at home, you can imagine I hear this song on repeat, as it is used as the theme song for 1995 Disney/Pixar animated film Toy Story.

We make personal and professional connections through friendships. These friendships are formed with people who you see regularly or share an interest with, such as a coworker with whom you share coffee in the lunchroom. With nearly 900 active members, GRCA brings together top business leaders to form connections. GRCA connects its members in a few of the following ways: ∙ The Berks Family Business Alliance (Berks FBA), a special program of the GRCA, is a leading resource in Berks County serving family-owned and closely held businesses of all sizes. Berks FBA provides diverse programming and numerous interactive opportunities to local businesses so you can connect with like-minded individuals and share challenges.

Learn more and how to join at greaterreading.org/ berks-family-business-alliance.

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

∙ Women2Women (W2W) is GRCA’s catalyst for developing women leaders and connecting women from diverse backgrounds to learn, share ideas and mentor each other. W2W offers a forum for women to create connections while gaining knowledge and building strategic alliances that foster personal and career growth. Learn more and join at berkswomen2women.com. ∙ GRCA convenes the Manufacturing Industry Partnership (IP) for Advanced Manufacturing in the Greater Reading region. This IP is driven by leaders in the manufacturing industry that have chosen to meet and connect around shared challenges, opportunities and programming. Learn more and join at greaterreading.org/industry-partnerships. ∙ GRCA serves as a beacon for pro-business policies.

The cornerstone of GRCA’s advocacy work is providing a bridge between federal, state and local officials. GRCA helps elected officials understand the challenges businesses face, while providing business-friendly solutions to regulatory, legislative and workforce issues. Working with members and the community, GRCA keeps everyone connected and engaged in building a healthy, competitive business community. Learn more at greaterreading. org/our-advocacy-work.

∙ GRCA hosts about 150 events each year. In 2021, there were 3,979 registered attendees to GRCA events.

That’s 3,979 potential connections to help grow your business. View all GRCA’s upcoming events by visiting business.greaterreading.org/events/calendar.

As the song lyrics go, “You got troubles, I’ve got ‘em too. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.

We stick together and see it through, ‘cause you’ve got a friend in me.”

If you got business troubles, there likely is another GRCA member going through the same difficulties. Come make connections and work together through those challenges. As a business community, we are greater together.

Join our community as a GRCA member and make invaluable connections and maybe even new friends. To join GRCA, contact Julie Larison, Senior Director of Membership Services, at JLarison@ GreaterReading.org or call 610.898.7785.

UPCOMING EVENT Join GRCA for its Annual Picnic on Aug. 9, 4:30pm, at FirstEnergy Stadium, Reading.

FIVE THINGS

FIVE

Local Bands B Y H E AT H E R BAV E R

Experience the thrill of live music right in your own backyard. Berks County is full of talented performers who will liven up your night. Savor the excitement and feel the energy while you listen to the musicians give it their all. Move to the beat with these five local bands.

1. Country

2. Four-part

Sing along to a glorious blend of country shuffle and syncopated rock. For 26 years, Frog Holler has delighted audiences with a mix of bluegrass banjo and rock crunch. This six-piece band hails from Kutztown and incorporates Berks County as a theme and inspiration in songs across their seven albums.

Frog Holler, frogholler. com, upcoming shows: 9/15 Bear Creek Mountain, Macungie; 9/24 RACC Miller Center for the Arts, Reading; 9/25 Music in the Hollow, Mohnton

Having a good time, all the time. Since the 1970s, Left Field has serenaded southeastern PA with an eclectic setlist of classic rock, pop and blues tunes. The band’s current lineup features drummer Joe Bernat, original member and bassist Robbie Werner, guitarist Charlie Werner and vocalist Rachael Green.

Dance and sing along with their toe-tapping four-part harmonies.

Left Field, facebook. com/rocksthefreeworld, upcoming shows: 8/12 Beverly Hills Tavern, 9/24 Railroad House

Rock.

Win It!

Harmony.

3. Class Act.

Rock out to your favorites of yesterday and today with Teacher’s Pet. Let the musical stylings of Caitlin Degler, Bob Szajna and Dave Vagnoni liven up your weekend. Invite this trio to your wedding or private party for energetic entertainment.

Teacher’s Pet, IG & FB: @partywiththepets, caitdegler@gmail.com for bookings, upcoming shows: 8/5 and 8/6 St. Marco Society Italian Food Festival, 4945 Commerce St., Temple, 9/10 Nativity BVM Ukrainian Catholic Church 504 Summit Avenue, Reading

4. Jazz It Up.

The Uptown Band melds a grooving horn section with two female vocalists to create heart-pumping jazz, pop, rock, funk and R&B rhythms. Book them for a private party or attend a concert to enjoy a mix of covers and original material. The Uptown Band, theuptownband. com, upcoming shows: 8/5 Summer Concert Series, Womelsdorf; 8/13 Muhlenberg Rotary & Lions Club Wine & Dine, Reading; 9/3 HOLD Spring Township Community Day, Sinking Spring; 9/10 2nd Annual Berks County Music Fest

5. Musical Tribute.

Let loose with a night of dance, rock and country hits. Better Than Nothing includes guitarist/ vocalist Bernie Korch, bassist/vocalist Steve Rhoades, lead vocalist Jessica Eckhart, drummer Harry Styer and sound engineer Eric Styer. Better Than Nothing, facebook. com/Better-ThanNothing-102270802260074, upcoming shows: 8/20 The Goodies Fire Company, Laureldale; 9/2 Shellhammer’s Speedway Summer Spectacular, Shoemakersville; 9/17 Railroad House, Sinking Spring; 9/24 Soberstock, Leesport

Get yourself a t-shirt and The Uptown Band CD by entering online at berkscountyliving.com this month. Good luck! berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

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THIS MONTH

August what to do & where to go COMPILED BY NIKKI M. MURRY

Aug. 16

MARY CHAPIN-CARPENTER 7:30pm, Miller Center for the Arts, Reading Area Community College.

Five-Time Grammy winner Mary Chapin-Carpenter will kick-off the 15th Anniversary Season. She’s one of only a handful of women to be inducted in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Carpenter’s records have sold more than 15 million albums featuring such classic hits as I Feel Lucky, He Thinks He’ll Keep Her and The Hard Way. For tickets and more info visit millercenter.racc.edu/ mary-chapin-carpenter.

Aug. 6

WEST READING SUMMER SIDEWALK SALE Penn Avenue, West Reading.

As you stroll the dozens of participating boutiques, shops and galleries, you will find sale items both inside and outside. For more info visit visitwestreading.com/festivals-events.

Aug. 20

5TH ANNUAL HOPS FOR HOOVES

11am-5pm, Willow Glen Park, Sinking Spring.

Aug. 8-13

151st ANNUAL KUTZTOWN FAIR Gates open at 4pm Mon-Fri, Sat at 2pm, Kutztown Fairgrounds, Kutztown.

Enjoy amusement rides and games, live music, track racing, livestock exhibits and much more.

For admission pricing and more info visit kutztownfair.com.

Enjoy craft beer samplings, vendors with various wares, live music, food trucks, raffles and more, all to benefit Grey Muzzle Manor. Tickets available in advance or at the door. Unlimited beer samples: $30, Designated Driver: $10. Children age 12 and younger admitted free. For more info visit @ greymuzzlemanorfarm on Facebook.

Aug. 13

6th ANNUAL WEST READING FRENCH FRY FEST 11am-6pm, Penn Avenue, West Reading.

The outdoor event showcases each participating restaurant's or vendor’s take on everyone’s favorite food: French fries!

Admission is free. French fries are payas-you-go. For more info visit facebook. com/events/346107694168065.

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

Aug. 13

7TH ANNUAL COW PIE BINGO, COW PIE POKER RUN & FOOD TRUCK THROW DOWN 11am-4pm, Classic Harley-Davidson, Leesport.

Start your day with the Cow Pie Poker Run! This UDDERLY awesome poker run starts at Classic at 11am. Hit local spots to get your poker cards and receive prizes along the way.

Return to Classic by 1pm with the best poker hand and win! Bingo square are on sale now at Classic: 1 for $20 or 3 for $50. The cow will hit the bingo grid around 1:30pm. Should he/ she make a deposit in the square with your number, you could win $500. Food trucks will be serving a variety of favorites from 11am3pm, including craft brews from Saucony Creek. For more info visit classicharley.com.

ART EXHIBITS Through Sept. 18

REAL BODIES

Reading Public Museum, Reading.

This powerful exhibition explores life by displaying real, perfectly preserved human bodies and more than 200 anatomical specimens. More than a simple display of human specimens, REAL BODIES will connect audiences to a deeper sense of what it means to be alive. The show has been recently updated to include the latest science-based information about COVID-19 in an effort to educate visitors on how the virus impacts the major systems of the body – from respiration to circulation.

For more info call 610.371.5850 or visit readingpublicmuseum.org.

BENEFITS Aug. 13

13TH ANNUAL BRAKE THE CYCLE OF POVERTY

2022-2023 SEASON

Performing Artists Series Sam Bush

Family Series Popovich Pet Theatre

Danú An Emerald Isle Christmas

Sunday, March 23, 2023

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Pat Hazell’s The Wonder Bread Years Wednesday, February 8, 2023

The Kingdom Choir Thurday, March 9, 2023

John Pizzarelli & Catherine Russell

Nat King Cole & The Ladies of Song Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Laura Benanti

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Jason Bishop

Special Events Jonathan Burns

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Carnival of the Animals Sunday, October 23, 2022

Heartland Marimba Quartet with the Reading Pops Monday, November 7, 2022

www.KutztownPresents.org 610-683-4092

7am-2pm, Rickenbach Learning Center, Kutztown University.

Four different bike ride options available, all to benefit Friend, Inc. Community Services, a multi-service social agency serving individuals in need in Northeastern Berks County. For more info call 610.683.7790 or visit friendinc.org.

Your “staycation” just got upgraded!

Explore the Mississippi River in style.

CONCERTS & NIGHTLIFE Aug. 5 & 12

BETHANY CHILDREN’S HOME SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

Gates open at 6pm, Bethany Children’s Home, Womelsdorf.

Bring your chair or blanket and enjoy the sounds of The Uptown Band on Aug. 5 and Sloth Loves Chunk on Aug. 12. Gates open at 6pm, and the show starts at 7pm. $5 per car parking. For more info visit bethanyhome.org.

Call 610-621-5797 to book your Mississippi River cruise today!

FESTIVALS Aug. 26-28

RIVERFEST

Fri: 4-10pm, Sat: 11am-10pm, Sun: 11am-7pm, Jim Dietrich Park, Muhlenberg.

The backdrop of the Schuylkill River will be the vista for this Music and Food Festival. Featured will be two stages of music, a beer and wine garden, food vendors of all kinds and artisan and home-based businesses. There will be a sanctioned Quoiting Tournament this year as well. For more info call 484.955.2320 or visit muhlenbergtwp.com.

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

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19TH ANNUAL

Taste of Hamburg-er Saturday, Sept. 3 DOWNTOWN HAMBURG

Festival

10am - 6pm

FREE ADMISSION • RAIN OR SHINE

Numerous Burger Vendors Professional Hamburger Eating Contest 4 Stages of Non-stop Entertainment 2 Beer and Wine Gardens Best Burger Contests Artisans/Crafters Children’s Activities Downtown Shopping Plenty of Food and Drinks And a Whole Lot More!

610.562.3106 | tasteofhamburger.com

Full Service Now enrolling for fall dance classes for all ages 226 South 3rd Street Hamburg, PA 19526

610-562-4420 cultureshockpac.com

Towing & Repairs V J WOOD SERVICE CENTER 411 S. 3rd St., Hamburg, PA • Call 484-662-4004 Day, Evening & Saturday Appointments Available

www.vjwoodtowing.com

STATE INSPECTION & EMISSIONS, ENHANCED INSPECTIONS, AUTO & TRUCK REPAIRS, BATTERIES

24 Hour Towing

A NOSTALGIC ONE SCREEN MOVIE THEATER

610-562-9275

The Art & Craft

GALLERY of Hamburg www.hamburgstrand.org 610-562-4750

Featuring arts and crafts from over 40 local artists Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Sat 10am-3pm 320 State Street, Hamburg 610.562.3106

FOURTWELVECOFFEE.COM

HAMBURGBRIDGE.COM

TAKE A BITE OUT OF YOUR

INSURANCE COSTS At CrossKeys we are committed to providing our customers with the most competitive rates with the highest quality of customer service!

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Medical And Surgical Treatment Of The Foot & Ankle NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS 654 Phila. Ave., Shillington

610-796-9522

260 State St., Suite 2, Hamburg

303 State St., Hamburg,

610-562-4999

ROCK WALL AND BUNGEE TRAMPOLINE RENTALS www.LVRockGym.com

berksfootandankle.com

P: 610-562-0677 F: 610-562-7091 Check us out on the web at

crosskeysins.com

St. Mary Church 94 Walnut Road, Hamburg

610-562-7657

stmaryhamburg.org Visit us on Facebook!

Rain or Shine

(Indoor/Outdoor Event)

Free Admission Plenty of Parking NO COOLERS NO BYOB/F

GREAT FO ENTERTA OD, IN & FUN A MENT CTIVITIE S FOR ALL AGES!

Pizza • Wings Subs • Salads

Slice Bar & Carry Out Visit us at the

HAMBURG-ER FESTIVAL! Serving Northern Berks Since 2000

500 Hawk Ridge Drive Hamburg Sq. Shopping Center

610-562-7700

Beautiful, Versatile, Affordable Custom Closets & Storage Solutions Walk-In and Reach-In Closets, Pantries, Laundry Rooms, Mudrooms and More EASY DESIGN PROCESS • FAST TURNAROUND TIME

Get Your Free 3D Design & Estimate 484-366-1836

vic tor yclosets.com

THE LOOK

Your Own Fashion B Y H E AT H E R B A V E R

Beginning with choosing materials and continuing with each stitch, crafters infuse their creations with personality and style. There’s a lot of satisfaction when designing and making an item. Whether you’re shopping for a bespoke piece, or want to acquire crafting skills of your own, get inspired by these local artisans.

Botvin Becca Bee Designs

Wyomissing etsy.com/shop/beccabeedesigns

“I KNIT OR SEW EVERY EVENING. It helps to quiet my mind, and I enjoy the rhythm it creates,” says Rebecca Botvin, owner of Becca Bee Designs. “I learned the basics of sewing from my mom, but I learned construction and technique by taking an evening class at the vo-tech when I was in high school.”

It took Botvin practice to learn these skills.

“I became much more proficient when I was in college and started sewing my own clothes.” She also learned the lesson that the right materials are an essential part of a successful garment.

As an adult, Botvin learned to knit. “My grandmother, Babci, was the only one in the 18

AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

family who knit, and she tried for years to teach me. I’m left handed, and I remember her setting up a mirror to reverse her hand motions. We didn’t get very far.” A few months after Babci died, Botvin took a class at The Yarn Gallery, West Reading, where she learned the traditional right-handed method.

When designing patterns, Botvin gets creative. “Most of the patterns I use are cobbled together parts of already existing ones. There’s a lot of trial and error.”

For tools, Botvin recommends “a really sharp pair of steel sewing scissors — they’re like a chef’s knives.” She also likes an interchangeable bamboo needle set for portability. “It’s only the size of a hardback book.”

Hoppin Hat.

Brave the chill with playful headgear.

Botvin’s hand-knit bunny hat features a delightful rabbit face and long ears.

Dangling ties and bushy pom-poms keep the hat secured with style. Grey Bunny Hat, teen sizes, $50, Becca Bee Designs

Party Print.

Designed and sewn by Botvin, these whimsical pink poodles make every day festive. Wear this dress in cooler weather with leggings or tights and a long-sleeve shirt or cardigan. Custom Party Poodle Dress, available in sizes 3-8, $90, Becca Bee Designs

DiFabio Spinning Sheep Designs Birdsboro shopspinningsheep.com

“I LEARNED TO KNIT AND CROCHET from my grandmother. Funny thing is that I knit right-handed and crochet left-handed,” says Heather DiFabio, owner of Spinning Sheep Designs in Birdsboro. DiFabio attributes this to the way her grandmother demonstrated these skills. “When my grandmother taught me to knit, she taught me while I was sitting in her lap. When she taught me to crochet, she taught me while facing her, so I mirrored with my left hand what she did with her right hand.”

DiFabio loves creating her own patterns.

“I could wander through the yarn aisles at a craft store for hours thinking up different new ideas to make with the yarn,” she says.

Kessler

Ladyfingers Sewing Studio, Inc. Oley ladyfingerssewing.com

“DESIGNING FABRIC IS BOTH exhilarating and challenging!” says Gail Kessler, owner of Ladyfingers Sewing Studio in Oley. Over the course of her career, Kessler has created more than 140 colors of Dimples for Andover Fabrics. “Because it is a business, there are deadlines to be met, and because there are so many steps to the ‘concept to cloth,’ it takes upwards of a year or more to see the finished product.” Once her design is available for sale, Kessler experiences the rewards of her hard work. “The most exciting part of designing fabric is seeing what people do with it! Some of the quilts and garments made from my fabric designs continue to amaze me!”

DiFabio thrives on the trial-and-error process, and she always has an idea in progress. “I love sitting down and working on new stitch patterns until I find something that I love.”

While she’s happy to work with all kinds of yarns, DiFabio says, “I love the softer, natural fibers like angora or alpaca.” DiFabio also prefers natural materials for her crafting tools, like bamboo knitting needles.

One of her latest designs is a rainbow baby blanket. “I had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while until I was at the craft store one day and all of the colors came together. It quickly became one of my favorite pieces that I’ve made!”

Fall Essential.

This skinny scarf adds style without bulk. Hand-knitted by DiFabio, the orange yarn captures the feeling of fall. The long fringe adds pizzazz and pairs well with shirts, vests and jackets. Orange Skinny Scarf, $39.95, Spinning Sheep Designs

Kessler’s family inspired her interest in fabric arts. “While my mother was an excellent seamstress, my love of quilting came from my grandmother. She didn’t really teach me, but let me watch her quilt,” says Kessler. “I started quilting when I was pregnant with my first son, mostly self-taught, but also by taking classes whenever I could.”

After acquiring sewing and quilting skills, Kessler started teaching. For 30 years, she’s taught students online and at Ladyfingers Sewing Studio. “I teach on craftsy.com and have over 750,000 students enrolled in my Piece, Patch, Quilt - Beginner Quilt Making Skills Class.” For those who prefer in-person experiences, Ladyfingers Sewing Studio has a dedicated classroom and ongoing classes.

Creative

Handmade Hood.

Crocheted by DiFabio, this cold weather accessory is the perfect complement to your favorite pea coat. The scarf features an attached hood to keep you extra warm and stylish. Purple Hooded Scarf, $74.95, Spinning Sheep Designs

S hades.

Designed by Kessler, each brilliant color measures 18” x 22.” This “tone-on-tone” fabric is a harmonious alternative to solid colors and is perfect for crafting quilts, scarves or bags. Jewel-colored Dimples Fat Quarter Bundle, $52.99, Ladyfingers Sewing Studio

S unny S tarter.

Skip the preliminaries and get sewing. This table runner kit features pre-cut fabric strips.

The cheerful sunflowers will fill you with pride when you look at the finished piece.

Patchwork Sunflower Table Runner Quilt Kit, $39.99, Ladyfingers Sewing Studio

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

19

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

TAKING THEIR ROLES SERIOUSLY

When you envision a young professional, you no doubt envision someone put together, someone that arrives on-time…someone dedicated to getting his or her job done right, each and every time. You think of someone honest and with integrity. Someone that others may see as a role model.

Regardless of their field of work, they are seen as being at the top of their game. They live in all of our communities, including here in Berks County, and we aim to introduce you to just a few local up-and-comers here.

How can you aim to enjoy the same professional success?

HERE ARE FIVE TIPS:

1. Manage time wisely. Perhaps keeping to-do lists will help, or maybe you’re more likely to follow a calendar kept on your cell phone.

2. Self-audit. Do you know how you’re spending your time? How much time each day do you spend scrolling through social media posts?

Reading email? Evaluate what you’re doing so you can make the most of every minute of your day.

3. Put Pressing Tasks First. This boils down to not procrastinating. Do you have “must-dos” on your list for the day? Do them first.

4. Take Breaks. While you want to make the most of your time, you need to find balance so you don’t burn out. Schedule short breaks for walks, to enjoy a snack and to take a mental breather here and there.

5. Find a Mentor. Do you have someone like the individuals on these pages that you admire? Reach out to see if he or she will offer some professional advice.

SAMIHAH ALI Social Media Account Manager Social Clover Marketing A 2017 graduate of Wilson High School and digital design enthusiast, Samihah took to the collegiate life with ease. Majoring in Business, Marketing and Management at Penn State Berks, Samihah achieved Dean’s list every semester throughout her academic career, and the accolades did not stop there. Post-pandemic, Samihah interned at Social Clover Marketing, where she fell under the wing of owner Tricia Williams, also a PSU alumni, learning the ins and outs of digital marketing with a targeted focus on social media and account management. She earned the “2021 Penn State Berks Outstanding Internship in Business Award in the Division of Engineering, Business & Computing” for her efforts. Following graduation, Samihah joined Social Clover Marketing as the Marketing Assistant and has since been promoted to Social Media Account Manager. “Samihah is a bright, charismatic, hard-working individual who I am grateful to have as part of the team! She is an incredibly well-rounded young professional who brings tremendous value to Social Clover Marketing and our client portfolios,” asserts Williams.

info@socialclovermarketing.com socialclovermarketing.com

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

ELU members make a difference through volunteering

Celebrating BFL and Leadership Berks graduates

BE A PART OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN BERKS COUNTY Learn more about United Way’s community engagement opportunities: BLUEPRINT FOR LEADERSHIP: Prepares individuals from underrepresented groups for community leadership roles through a 7-week program with participants meeting once weekly for instructional learning.

EMERGING LEADERS UNITED: Growing the next generation of leaders (ages 21-45) through volunteerism and philanthropy, offering a mix of volunteer, personal/professional and networking Help us meetdevelopment community needs activities.

LEADERSHIP BERKS: Trains and develops individuals to serve in throughout the recovery and every day nonprofit leadership roles through a 9-month, curriculum-based program with participants meeting once a month. The next LB class kicks off September 2022. uwberks.org VOLUNTEER CENTER:Visit Individuals, families and employee teams can connect to a variety of volunteer activities.

NOW MORE THAN EVER United Way needs your help

uwberks.org

To learn more, visit uwberks.org /uwberks Need help?

Call 2-1-1 or call Jean Morrow at 610.685.4587.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Bill Moser Century 21 Gold

READING LIBRARY DISTRICT

® 21 Gold Century Realtor

Becky L. Wanamaker,

REALTOR®

Bill Moser, a REALTOR® with Bill Moser, a REALTOR® CENTURY CENTURY 21 Gold with licensed in 21 Gold in of 2008, is a gradu2008, is alicensed graduate Wyomissing ate of Wyomissing High School and hasHigh a BSSchool degreeand in has a BS degree Engineering from Engineering frominLehigh University.

Lehigh University.

Bill worked as a civil Bill worked as a civil/environmental engineer for 5 years engineer for fivebefore yearsdedicating before himself to ahimself career in to reala estate. dedicating career in real Bill comes from a real estate family.

Hisestate. mother, Lisa Tiger, is a REALTOR® Bill comes from a real estate with CENTURY 21 Gold, and his dad, John Herman, is the owner of CENTURY family.

His is mother, Lisa is a REALTOR® with CENTURY 21 21 Gold and a principal in Tiger, NAI Keystone Commercial & Industrial.

Gold, his dad, in John Herman, is the owner of CENTURY 21 Gold Hisand knowledge residential real estate has given him exceptional and is a principal in NAI Keystone Commercial & Industrial. experience in working with buyers and sellers. He offers a high level of His knowledge in residential real estate has given him goals. exceptional service, personal dedication and commitment to his clients’ experience in working withhave buyers sellers. He offers a highalevel Bill and his wife, Ashley, justand welcomed their first child, son, of service, personal dedication and commitment to his clients’ goals.

Paxton and reside in Wyomissing.

Bill, his wife Ashley, their 1-year-old son Paxton and their black lab, Piper, reside in Wyomissing.

Office: 610.779.2500, ext. 8429 Office: 610.779.2500, ext. 8429 Direct: 610.207.5686 Direct: 610.207.5686 bmoser@c21gold.com bmoser@c21gold.com c21gold.com c21gold.com

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

BILL MOSER

District Consultant

Marissa Guidara, Youth Services District Consultant Beck y Wa na ma ker a nd Marissa Guidara comprise the core staff for the Reading Becky Wanamaker Marissa Guidara Library District. Employed by Reading Public Library, which serves as the district center, these library professionals work to champion the 21 public libraries throughout Berks County. They serve as liaisons for PA’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries and facilitate collaboration and shared resources and projects throughout our district.

Becky comes to her role of District Consultant with varied experience in library service and leadership throughout eastern PA. Marissa, Youth Services District Consultant, has 15 years of experience in library leadership and service to Berks youth. They each hold library science Masters degrees and bring a wealth of knowledge, support and a commitment to quality library service to their work.

Reading Public Library 100 S. 5th St., Reading | 610.655.6350 | readingpubliclibrary.org

MD MONIR

Owner, Dans at Green Hills Dans at Green Hills is not just an outstanding fine dining restaurant with incredible food, it is a wonderful dining experience. Proprietors MD Monir and Bill Woolworth, recently deceased, acquired Dans in 2006 in Reading and relocated the restaurant to Green Hills in 2012. Monir is a native of Bangladesh and came to America with a dream: "Start small. Work hard. Dream big."

Monir and Bill have always been devoted to pleasing every single guest in making them feel at home in their beautifully appointed dining rooms, at the bar, and on the natural tree-covered outdoor patio featuring the restaurant’s idyllic setting. The cuisine is creatively gourmet, French and American Contemporary, featuring guest favorites such as Filet Mignon, Diver Sea Scallops, Sweet Potato Soup and Crème Brûlée. The menu is complemented by an extensive wine list. At Dans, dining out is never just dining out: it’s always an unforgettable experience with friendly staff and exclusive service.

Seating more than 120 guests, Dans hosts small private parties for business and family events.

In remembrance of his partner Bill Woolworth’s dream of being a fine dining entrepreneur, Monir remains determined to continue their commitment and vision.

2444 Morgantown Rd., Reading Reservations: 610.777.9611 dansatgreenhills.com

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

21

Learning

EARLY LEARNING SPOTLIGHT

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Fun

IT’S NEVER TOO SOON for children to start on the road to learning and a quality education. While the very basics start at home, area preschools and childcare centers play an important role in teaching youths essential skills that are the building blocks upon which their minds and opportunities in life will grow.

Learn more about just a few local options, here.

We are grateful to be named the 2021 People’s Choice “Best Preschool” Leader

We want to thank our fabulous teachers and our SpringRose families, both past and present, who helped us achieve this honor!

563 Mountain Home Rd., Sinking Spring 610.670.7515 | springrosechildcare.com

SpringRose Child Care

SpringRose’s mission is to provide the best childcare possible in a loving, nurturing, CallStudents 610-670-7515 home-like setting. learn to follow www.springrosechildcare.com their curiosity, to think creatively, and to 563independently Mountain Home Road Sinking Spring, PA 19608 work and /cooperatively with others. We celebrate diversity and strive to instill integrity, compassion and confidence in each child. We are proud to be the People’s Choice for “Best Preschool.”

Lakin of Preschool Lakin Preschool Jewish Federation of Reform Reading/Berks 555 Warwick Drive, Wyomissing | 610.223.5058 Congregation Oheb Shalom MsHolli@jfreading.org | Holli Winick Viau, Director 555 Warwick Dr., Wyomissing 484.332.5981 | lakinpreschool.com

Atonement Christian Preschool 5 Wyomissing Blvd., Wyomissing 610.375.8049 | atonementwyo.org

Atonement Christian Preschool provides a developmentally appropriate early childhood educational experience in a loving and nurturing environment. We promote the spiritual, social-emotional, cognitive and physical development of every child. Our preschool, sponsored

by Atonement Lutheran Church, offers a variety of classes for children 18 months to 5 years old. We have been serving the families of Berks County and beyond for 46 years.

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

We offer a safe, loving and nurturing environment for offer preschool classes Plus. toddlersWe and children through thethrough age of 5.Pre-K Youths can We welcome babies (with parents,) toddlers and enroll in toddler, preschool and PreK Plus programming childrenlicensed up to 6 years, all religious by theincluding State of Pennsylvania. backgrounds.

Small classes, flexible drop-offs and All religious backgrounds are welcomed.

Small classes, pick-ups, andand classes in the and arts, afternoon literature and sports flexible drop-offs pick-ups, enrichment arethe some the offerings our nurturing, classes in arts,ofliterature and at sports are some safe of the environment that servedplace children for 60+ years. offerings that make ushas a special to learn and grow.

Your $200 registration fee is applied to tuition.

Woodlands Academy of Early Learning

1001 James Drive, Ste. B40, Leesport 484.277.7973 | woodlandsacad.com

Woodlands Academy of Early Learning is a STARS 4 facility that provides premier preschool services to Berks County. Our philosophy is every child is rich with knowledge and should be encouraged to learn in a way that is meaningful to them. Our Reggio Emilia approach ensures children are learning based on their interests and are excelling in social emotional regulation.

GET A SCHOLARSHIP goggleworks.org/programs/scholarships

AUTUMN CLASSES Now Registering REGISTER NOW

scan code or go to goggleworks.org/classes CLASSES Ceramics Hot Glass Warm Glass Metals Drawing & Painting Wood Printmaking Photography Youth & Teen

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts

201 Washington Street Reading PA, 19601 goggleworks.org • 610.374.4600

GW_BCL August_2022.indd 1

Follow Us! @goggleworks Hours //Sun. - Sat, 9am-9pm Free admission & parking

6/21/2022 11:28:24 AM

//////// AIMING ////

HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH

TO MAKE GREAT THINGS HAPPEN IN A COMMUNITY, BE IT THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, OR ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS, YOU NEED A STRONG TEAM OF GO-GETTERS. IT’S A GOOD THING THAT BERKS COUNTY’S FIVE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES EMPLOY STAFF MEMBERS DEDICATED TO DOING EXACTLY THAT. MEET A FEW ON THE PAGES THAT FOLLOW.

How Local College & University Staff Advocate for Community & Student Success

KIRSHMAN KIRSHMAN KIRSHMAN

University

Understands the Secret to Student Success

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

Dr. Andrea Kirshman, associate provost for Student Success and Academic Excellence at Kutztown University, has been at KU for 34 years. She began her first 10 years in the Career Development Center and followed with 15 years of oversight of the university’s student orientation program before moving into her current role in 2013.

Kirshman’s responsibilities and influence as the leader of the Center for Student Success are far-reaching across the campus and impact the success of every student. The

programs, initiatives and services Kirshman oversees have a direct relationship to retention and student success as they help students meaningfully engage with the KU campus community and foster the development of skills and experiences that will last a lifetime.

Her dedication to the university and students does not end there; Kirshman is a leader on the Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award Committee, the Commencement Committee and the Management

//////// Professional Development Committee as well as coordinating the STARS summer bridge, among others. Kirshman has an active role on the Student Success team and is very involved with grant funded programs that support students in middle school, high school and college.

Under Kirshman’s driven leadership, she has established a group of committed individuals who work with students to help them set clear goals for their academic success and empower them with the resources to achieve their goals. She knows that student success substantially influences retention rates and she ceaselessly focuses on finding innovative ways to enable students to make their academic dreams a reality. During the 2021-2022 academic year, the retention rate of first-year students soared to 78 percent, the highest for the university since fall 2008.

Kirshman has been an invaluable asset to Kutztown University for more than three decades. Her orchestration of her areas of oversight exemplifies Kutztown University’s mission to provide high-quality education to prepare students to meet the lifelong intellectual, ethical, social and career challenges and provide support to students to meet their unique potential. She is passionate about building partnerships with students and staff to create and deliver indispensable resources that are advantageous to student success. Kirshman plans to implement a student success platform that will engage students, faculty and staff in supporting students from inside and outside the classroom. Her extraordinary efforts to create a campus environment where all students can flourish is one of the many attributes of Kirshman that makes her an admirable member of the KU community.

Kirshman welcomes new students at the university’s 2017 freshman convocation.

PHOTO COURTESY KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY.

ONE MOVE

CLOSER TO

AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE.

130+

exceptional majors available in your backyard.

80% of students receive some type

of financial aid.

200+ student organizations.

22 NCAA Division II athletic teams. www.kutztown.edu/visit berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

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PHOTO BY KATIE QUINN

Berks

///

DAWSON DAWSON DAWSON Serves as Bridge to Community Organizations

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

It is widely known that Penn State Berks has a long history of serving the needs of the local community, dating back to 1914, when the University began offering agricultural extension to Berks County residents. What most people do not know is that the college continues to expand its community outreach in many ways. One such way is by hosting more than 25 community events on campus each year, as well as many college events that are open to the public,

including summer camps, Earth Day and diversity celebrations, arts and lecture series programs and many others.

All these campus initiatives are coordinated by Mark Dawson, interim director of business services.

Dawson, who prefers to work behind the scenes, meets with community organizations and coordinates all campus events — helping to ensure their success.

“Mark Dawson has served as a bridge to the local community by facilitating these events and fulfilling our land-grant mission,” states Penn State Berks Chancellor George Grant, Jr. The first to say that it is a team effort, Dawson credits his Maintenance and Operations staff, who work to ensure that the campus is in pristine shape and to support every facet of events, from set up to logistics to tear down. He also attends each event to make sure it runs smoothly.

This year, Dawson began working with My Gut Instinct to bring its annual Guts & Glory Digestive & Wellness Expo to Penn State Berks for the first time. Described as a journey of wellness education, nutritional awareness and health, the Expo will bring more than 1,000 community members to campus on Sept. 24.

Another example is the United Way’s “The Big Cheese,” the largest United Way-driven meal packaging event in the country. Now in its sixth year, Penn State

Berks has hosted the event since its inception.

This year’s event, held on June 17, brought 500 volunteers to campus to package 250,000 nutrientfortified mac-and-cheese meals for local families in need. Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank distributed the meals to local school children through the Weekender Backpack program and local food pantries. The Reading School District also received a portion of the meals.

Dawson is instrumental in helping many other community organizations to coordinate their 5Ks, including Girls on the Run, the Hope Rescue Mission, Threshold Rehabilitation Services, the Berks County Intermediate Unit, Abilities in Motion, the Literacy Council, March of Dimes, Alzheimer’s Association and the Eastern PA Down Syndrome Center, just to name a few.

When he’s not coordinating events and fulfilling his other job responsibilities, Dawson serves as coach of the college’s Rugby Club. He recently began working with Rugby Pennsylvania to host their Spring State Championship, which brings hundreds of high school athletes to campus.

Not only is Dawson instrumental in the college’s community engagement initiatives, but he is a proud Penn Stater. He earned both his baccalaureate and master’s degrees at Penn State Berks, and all six of his daughters are Penn State alumni.

//////// At left: Handing out water at a Girls on the Run event. PHOTO BY

LAUREN ADELE LITTLE.

"DAWSON, WHO PREFERS TO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES, MEETS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND COORDINATES ALL CAMPUS EVENTS – HELPING TO ENSURE THEIR SUCCESS."

Below: The United Way's "The Big Cheese" event.

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

27

University

The Navigator Team of Alvernia University PHOTO BY STEPHEN JOHNSON

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NAVIGATORS NAVIGATORS NAVIGATORS

Fosters Success by Mastering the Middle Ground Between Challenge & Support B Y S A R A H M ATA R E L L A

W AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

When Adrian Bohinski started as a first-year criminal justice major at Alvernia University in the fall of 2021, he was self-aware of his habits, learning style and original desire to pursue avenues other than higher education.

The rising sophomore’s focus on other career paths resulted in a lack of initial motivation when starting his first classes. It ultimately led him to seek services from Alvernia’s Navigation Office, established in 2019 thanks to funding from a five-year, $2.5 million, U.S.

Department of Education’s Title III Part A Strengthening Institutions Grant. The office is led by Activity Director Lee Ann Bieber, who has helped Alvernia students reach academic success for nearly two decades.

“Through pre-arrival check-ins, we strive to figure out many student goals and needs before they arrive on campus,” says Bieber. “While students can be ‘college-ready,’ we want to be institutionally ready for the student to ensure that their experience is the best it can be.”

PHOTO BY THEO ANDERSON PHOTO BY STEPHEN JOHNSON

This preparation has been especially critical as students are not only making an impactful transition, but also have less confidence in choosing a career path and are less equipped to manage college life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the navigators adopted a case management model and created a financial, academic, career and social support program which allows them to meet one-on-one with all incoming first-year students to find any barriers to success before they begin classes.

“Our job is to get students on track,” says Lead Navigator Tyler Kearney-Good.

“A huge part of it is sitting down, asking questions and reflecting on who they are as individuals so we can create an academic plan based on their needs. The goal of the conversation is to find a healthy medium between supporting and challenging so that students can build autonomy and better habits that they can carry well after their time at Alvernia.”

Other examples of barriers to success that the Navigation Office caters to are those who need to weave a job into their course schedule, students who have obligations to their families or communities, students who need financial literacy assis-

////////

“OUR JOB IS TO GET STUDENTS ON TRACK,” SAYS LEAD NAVIGATOR TYLER KEARNEY-GOOD. “A HUGE PART OF IT IS SITTING DOWN, ASKING QUESTIONS AND REFLECTING ON WHO THEY ARE AS INDIVIDUALS SO WE CAN CREATE AN ACADEMIC PLAN BASED ON THEIR NEEDS.

tance, those who need help deciding on a career path and, in the most severe cases, those approaching academic probation.

“After using the Navigation Office services for one year, I’ve learned skills to help me get through life effectively and efficiently, not just to get through school.

[The navigators] have taught me how to create a schedule, stay on top of it and edit papers and speeches. They cater to the type of person that you are, and it was those adjustments that impacted me the most,” says Bohinski.

The Title III grant awarded to the university to help increase student achievement, persistence and retention by expanding programming and support services has led to early success. It has assisted efforts in promoting universitywide collaboration with services offered in the Academic Success Center, Student Financial Services, Career Development and Student Activities and has resulted in a 2 percent increase in retention among firstyear students.

“The Title III services were one of the best things that I experienced at Alvernia University,” says Bohinski.

Back to School Is For Parents Too Alvernia offers accelerated adult bachelor programs and graduate programs with the working professional in mind: • Flexible degree options • Evening and online courses • Leading regional expert faculty • State of the art facilities • Caring and supportive community Get Started On Your Terms:

Alvernia.edu/GradAndAdult berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

29

///

STAFF STAFF STAFF Dedicated to Student Success at RACC

Personal attention is a hallmark of a Reading Area Community College (RACC) education. RACC prides itself on small classes and dedicated faculty and staff members who know more than just the student’s name. With an average class size of 15 students and a 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio, our faculty members take extra steps to guide and mentor the students in their academic and career endeavors.

At RACC, students learn directly from accomplished faculty members who are leaders in their fields: scholars, researchers, authors, health professions leaders and artists. Using the insights and expertise they have gained in the field, our faculty prepare their students for real-world success after college.

“I am proud of RACC’s outstanding reputation for preparing students to enter their careers or continue on to earn their bachelor’s degrees. If you are a RACC graduate, you have many options in seamlessly transferring your associate degree to regional as well as nationally recognized four-year institutions. If your plan is to immediately find employment with your degree or certificate, RACC can help you connect with leading employers throughout Berks County. Above all, each of us at RACC is committed to the individual student, and their success. We are the “community’s college” devoted to 30

AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

PHOTO BY SUSAN L. ANGSTADT PHOTOGRAPHY

P

“IT IS SUCH AN HONOR TO HAVE SPENT SO MUCH OF MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER AT RACC. WE ARE A TEACHING-CENTERED INSTITUTION WHERE PROFESSORS KNOW THEIR STUDENTS, AND OFTEN THEIR PARENTS,

BY NAME."

PHOTO BY JOHN A. SECOGES, SECOGES PHOTOGRAPHICS

////////

PHOTO BY SUSAN L. ANGSTADT PHOTOGRAPHY

student achievement and the enrichment of our community,” says RACC President Dr. Susan Looney.

Virtually unlimited access to faculty and staff cultivates an enriching environment where students work side-by-side with educators — in the classroom, in labs, in internship or clinical settings — to create an immersive learning experience.

In a recently completed brand perception market research study conducted by a national market research company specializing in higher education, it was noted that more than 92 percent of current and past students perceive RACC as a great college; with a quality education and a great starting place. Also highlighted was the willingness of faculty and staff to help, and the strength of the tutoring and advising resources.

“It is such an honor to have spent so much of my professional career at RACC. We are a teachingcentered institution where professors know their students, and often their parents, by name. RACC is committed to creating a learning environment that leads to future academic and workforce or career success,” says RACC Senior VP of Academic Affairs/ Provost, Cindy Seaman.

RACC is a special place. Unique in its structure and curriculum from the four-year Berks County institutions, students reap all the benefits of a four-year institution — challenging academic programs, stateof-the-art facilities, renowned faculty — with small classes led by dedicated, accessible faculty who are focused on the success of every individual they teach.

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31

College

Makes the World a Better Place, One Student at a Time

PHOTO COURTESY PEARSON ONLINE LEARNING SERVICES

///

VILIC VILIC VILIC B Y S U S A N S H E L LY

B Boris Vilic believes that Albright College can make the world a better place — one student at a time.

“Everything we’re doing at Albright is creative and innovative,” says Vilic, Dean of the School of Professional Studies, which primarily serves adult learners who are furthering their educations while juggling jobs, families and other obligations. “We are constantly working to overcome challenges facing students and higher education in America.”

The most pressing of those challenges is lack of access for many — a problem that Vilic and others at Albright are tackling head on.

The college in 2019 “right-sized” its tuition and created a simplified financial aid process, providing a more accurate and transparent picture of costs while reducing the amount of tuition increases.

The School of Professional Studies also changed its pricing structure, enabling many students to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree for about the same price of a bachelor’s degree at other institutions.

“Higher education has an access problem because it costs too much,” Vilic says. “We don’t want to be part 32

AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

“HIGHER EDUCATION HAS AN ACCESS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT COSTS TOO MUCH,” VILIC SAYS. “WE DON’T WANT TO BE PART OF THAT PROBLEM, SO WE’VE COME UP WITH CREATIVE WAYS TO LOWER OUR COSTS AND BECOME PART OF THE SOLUTION.”

of that problem, so we’ve come up with creative ways to lower our costs and become part of the solution.”

The School of Professional Studies also is customizing its programs to meet the particular needs of students, offering accelerated learning that enables certain adult learners to earn a degree and advance their careers in just over a year, and employing certificates and other micro-credentials that can be earned quickly and stacked toward a degree. It also just announced a fellowship for graduate students starting this summer at St. Stephen’s, the Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford.

All these steps and programs are aimed at empowering students and enabling them to advance their educations and careers – accomplishments that benefit the entire community. Vilic is partnering with leaders of area businesses, agencies and school districts to address labor shortages and to develop programming that allows employees to advance their educations and careers as they continue to work.

“In just one year a paraprofessional in a school can become a certified teacher, or a counselor

//////// assistant at a treatment center can become a certified addictions counselor,” Vilic says. “We are creating programs that support and advance work students are already doing, something that’s proven to increase success rates.”

While the School of Professional Studies is lauded for its programs, Vilic credited President Jacquelyn S. Fetrow for establishing a college-wide standard for creativity and innovation that has spread into the community.

“President Fetrow is someone who lives innovation and creativity,” he says. “She’s always looking to change the status quo.”

He noted the acclaimed Science Research Institute that operates on Albright’s campus, a planned regional community esports hub, a program that partners student volunteers with members of the College Heights community, the move to campus of the Central Pennsylvania African American Museum and other innovations that further connect the college and community.

“It’s really about looking at the college holistically and asking how we can continue growing and changing in ways that benefit the community,” Vilic says.

Higher education will continue to evolve, and Albright will continue to seek solutions to problems in ways that best serve its students.

“Change is inevitable, we know that,” Vilic says. “Our job is to continue taking steps to disrupt problems and find solutions that focus on one thing: the success of our students.”

“IT’S REALLY ABOUT LOOKING AT THE COLLEGE HOLISTICALLY AND ASKING HOW WE CAN CONTINUE GROWING AND CHANGING IN WAYS THAT BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY,” VILIC SAYS.

A TOP NATIONAL COLLEGE - WSJ/TIMES EXCEED YOUR EXPECTATIONS Bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for traditional and adult students • www.albright.edu berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

33

Be A Saint.

Visual Arts | Dance | Theater | Music | Preschool/Kindergarten

OUR MISSION To connect and enrich our community through arts education, creative performance, and innovative programs.

Fall Classes Enrolling Soon!

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For more information please email nsmith@berkscatholic.org.

Come be part of something great! berkscatholic.org

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

Music Instruction Visual Arts Classes Theater Classes Arts-based Preschool & Kindergarten

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Take a class! See a show!

Visit YocumInstitute.org to learn more.

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CELEBRATING 23 YEARS IN BUSINESS! Our friendly, experienced staff of Licensed Massage Therapists and Estheticians has the training and passion to make your visit a positively euphoric experience. Our Acne and Age Smart Skin Specialists provide popular services like Dermaplaning, Microcurrent, Oxygen, LED Light Therapy, Peels, Lash Lift & Tinting, Waxing, Firming Body Wraps and an array of Massage Therapy. Get a complete list of services online, and visit us at our beautiful location!

United Artists Salon & Spa 299 Penn Avenue, West Reading 610.376.8481 | www.unitedartistssalon.com

The team at UA appreciates the support of our loyal clientele. We welcome new guests to join us for their beauty services. UA offers hair care, nail care, facials, massage, a private wig room, a professional retail store and online shopping. Our team of beauty experts help clients feel their best. We are hiring, come join our team.

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Art is often considered to be something solely to observe. But artwork can serve a practical purpose while still fulfilling the maker’s vision.

Three Berks County-based crafters have used materials like clay, wood, epoxy, paint and stained glass to beautify the area, inserting art into everyday life.

Meet the

MAKERS

BY J O N FAS S N AC H T | P H O T O S BY H E I D I R E U T E R

Wes MUCKEY Nolde Forest Pottery

ORIGINALLY INTERESTED in painting during his time at Conrad Weiser High School in the early ‘80s, Wes Muckey quickly did an about face when his art teacher introduced him to pottery. Four decades later, his business is all about faces.

“There’s something about being able to form something and then being able to add the artwork to the form, instead of a flat canvas,” says Muckey, 52. “It was just so rewarding to me. After that, I never went back to painting.”

Lester Breininger, Muckey’s biology teacher at Conrad Weiser, owned a pottery business and hired him. There he worked with master potter Greg Zieber, later becoming business partners with him, founding Nolde Forest Pottery in 1994.

Zieber passed away in 2014.

Face jugs, Muckey’s most frequent creation, have brought him attention from big names around the world, including Oprah Winfrey, actor William H. Macy, Barack Obama, former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash.

“My first high-profile customer was Ozzy Osbourne,” says the Mohnton resident, who is also a musician. “And it kind of went on from there. My brother and I have some friends in the record company business – when there were record companies – and we would meet people through there. And some of them were like: ‘Slash is coming to your town. We want to give him a special gift but we don’t want to give him a basket of pretzels. Will you make a sculpture?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ Some of them really like my work and have stayed in touch. You get these odd emails and you always wonder if they’re real.”

Face jugs, Muckey’s most frequent creation, have brought him attention

from big names around the world, including

Oprah Winfrey, actor

William H. Macy, Barack Obama, former Van

Halen singer David Lee

Roth, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash.

noldeforestpottery.com

He crafted his favorite piece, a jug featuring 20 faces, when his business turned 20. The last face he included was that of Zieber, his late business partner. He usually doesn’t keep his own creations, but he couldn’t bear to part with that one.

Muckey also produces English-style, slipdecorated earthenware, and personalized and custom-made pieces.

“I prefer when people let me do my design, but sometimes they bring me something to do with a special thing in their life, and I’ll incorporate that into the design,” he says. “I never really do a sketch. I’ll do a piece, and if they don’t like it, I tell them they don’t have to take it. But to sketch it out, it doesn’t do it any justice. You almost have to hold it in your hand.”

Muckey recently added lessons to his palette of offerings, something he’s always wanted to do.

“It’s been quite rewarding to show people from beginning to end how a plate’s made, because I use tools that are 100 years old,” he says. “They were from potters from 100 years ago. So I show them the process of how the very first potters in America made the pieces. Other than the motor on my wheel, it’s almost exactly the same.” berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

37

Jane

RUNYEON All Together Art

Though she’s an

accomplished artist herself, mainly as

an abstract painter, Runyeon found

a niche as an art

advocate, brokering for other artists.

janerunyeonworksofart.com 38

AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

JANE RUNYEON has been entwined in the art world since she was a teenager. Now in her 60s, she’s amassed a sizeable trove of pieces – and experiences.

Runyeon appeared to be following a path in education, receiving a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati before teaching painting and drawing at the University of Colorado and Albright College. Then in the mid-1990s, the owner of then-hallowed Joe’s Restaurant in Reading – “we were basically drinking buddies through a bunch of people who loved great food” – asked her to become general manager of his new venture, Bistro 614 in the burgeoning West Reading.

“Before I knew it, I was figuring out lighting and designing their bathroom and totally loving it,” the Wyomissing resident says. “I decided that I was better suited for the business world. And here we are.”

Though she’s an accomplished artist herself, mainly as an abstract painter, Runyeon found a niche as an art advocate, brokering for other artists. Soon after the turn of the millennium, she founded All Together Art, a collective of creatives that collaborate to beautify spaces in the corporate world and to help build private collections. The network includes artists, architects, feng shui experts and lighting designers.

“I manage projects, everything from a large stainedglass window for Reading Hospital to a French cabaret space for musicians and artists to show and sell in,” she says. “I love the camaraderie, putting a vision together and using the best ideas from the group. And I have fun selecting who that might be.”

She’s also a whirling dervish of creativity. What has she been doing recently? Well, what hasn’t she been doing recently?

“I do a fair amount of writing,” she says. “I do most of my own advertising. I’ve always loved astronomy and I’ve always loved stars and I’ve always loved jazz music. About 15 years after I started to collect buttons, I thought ‘Ooh, I’ll make these really big all-button bracelets.’ And during COVID I thought: ‘Hey, I want to make scarves. Hey, I want to make coats.’”

Runyon’s work has added plenty of color to Berks County, especially in the West Reading/Wyomissing corridor. She designed the stained-glass fronting Bistro 614 – now Mazi – in West Reading and the large stainedglass window at Reading Hospital’s N Building, a work called “The Cycles of Life,” which she cites as one of her favorites. She hopes to exhibit “The New Fragile World,” a series of paintings she produced during COVID, soon.

Though involved with many projects in the area, she also has done notable work beyond the county – and beyond the globe. Her pieces have been displayed at the Empire State Building, and she’s collaborated with the Acadia National Park Night Sky Festival in Maine and the International Space Station. It’s all related, she says, because science and art are two sides of the same coin.

“I just like the color and the concept that (Jupiter moon) Europa is a big thing of glass ice that they think may well be where we’re going to find life,” she says. “I mean, that’s enough for me to paint for a week.”

Jason EYER Swerl Designs

JASON EYER and his brother Dave founded hardscaping company A Stone’s Throw in 2014, which allowed the trained masons to utilize their skills with stone, brick and other materials. The business kept them busy – most of the year, at least. Winters led to their discontent, and they hated plowing snow, so they sought something else to complement their main gig.

Soon before COVID hit in 2020, the brothers began experimenting with epoxy and gave woodworking a whirl.

“We did a couple small projects for family, and they turned out really nice,” says Eyer, 40. “And it was like, ‘Oh, maybe we’re good at this.’ We incorporated our masonry into our woodworking. So we have tables with real brick or real stone, benches with real stone, things like that.”

Soon thereafter, Swerl Designs was born.

Not wanting it to be a solo venture, Eyer sought out additional artists, resulting in a team of 10 offering wares ranging from hand-blown glass

“It seems like the

pandemic brought out a lot of art in people,”

Eyer says. “It’s

interesting that people

revert back to art when

they aren’t busy."

swerldesignsllc.com

to dot creations to custom wired designs. Many of them he knew through Koinos Community Church in Sinking Spring; he fleshed out the team with crafters he discovered by combing the region.

In April 2021, Swerl opened a West Reading storefront at the Penn Avenue site formerly occupied by Justin Bortz Jewelry Designs. The store’s floor showcases work from the artists, including Eyer’s favorite creation: a roundtable crafted from a large slab of apple-tree wood paired with a dark-green epoxy. Everything in the store is handmade, and the artists are willing to custom-make anything.

The Schuylkill County native says he would also display his handiwork around his Exeter Township house, except for one small thing.

Well, three small things.

“I have three kids, and they’ll break them,” he admits. “My 4-year-old son would destroy them.

He likes to help me make them, though. My kids are very artistic, and they like to help me.”

Swerl has an online store as well, but Eyer believes it’s important to see the pieces before purchasing them. One of the most common refrains he hears from customers is that pictures don’t do justice to the work.

In the short term, the brothers hope to build a base of returning customers. Already business owners, they know success can take years, and they’re prepared to give their newest venture the time it needs. Long-term goals include opening additional locations and making Swerl their fulltime gig, as it’s easier on their bodies than the strenuous work at A Stone’s Throw.

They also plan to continue teaching epoxy pour classes at Koinos. Attendees learn how to transform an end-table-sized piece of wood into a wall hanging, table or serving tray.

“It seems like the pandemic brought out a lot of art in people,” Eyer says. “It’s interesting that people revert back to art when they aren’t busy.

Which is really cool.”

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

39

LIVING IN STYLE

Under TUSCAN SUN the

Bringing Italy to a Berks Backyard

BY DONNA REED | PHOTOS BY JOHN A . SECOGES, SECOGES PHOTOGRAPHICS

V

alleys and hillsides glowing golden under a beaming mid-summer sun, balmy breezes adding movement to trees and crops, are signatures of Berks’ beautiful seasonal landscape.

For those with roots and sentiments that extend beyond the county borders, these images harken the mind and spirit to other locales, some far across oceans.

40

AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

Roberto and Amber Campitelli are among those. Both have strong familial Italian roots – Roberto’s in Ascoli Piceno and Amber’s in Naples and Sicily.

“We’re both 100 percent Italian,” Amber declares proudly.

They have an especial love of Tuscany, that central Italian paradise of ancient art, vineyards and culinary delights that captivates

its locals and international tourists alike, and which has become the focus of literary bestsellers and Hollywood blockbusters.

While the Campitellis might not be living under the Tuscan sun, they’ve nonetheless managed to bring its luminescence to their home and its glorious gardens on a verdant Cumru Township hillside.

The welcoming sign “Villa Tuscana” offers a hint as to what’s in store, but it surely doesn’t tell the full story. Roberto and Amber fill in those blanks with a magnificent manor that showcases their characters and their heritage.

The couple and their four children were looking for a larger home in 2008 when they came across the 20-acre bank-owned

property that sat vacant for two years. While the reality of the first impression of the large house and overgrown grounds left a lot to be desired, the potential it offered on that beautiful May day of its showing was inspirational.

“BONES” AND BLOSSOMS

“It had the bones,” says Roberto.

“We were enticed by the architecture of the building and the land.”

And the many varieties of shrubs and trees in full blossom added to the appeal.

For Amber, an overgrown wisteria was the clincher – and a sign.

“In our first house and our

second house, the wisteria was still climbing, not really reaching where I’d have liked it to be,” she says. “Roberto built a pergola for it at our second house and as soon it was nearing the top, we decided to move. As soon as we saw the wisteria over the garage here, I knew we were home.”

Fourteen years later, the Campitellis are living the Tuscan dream right here in Berks. Getting there took time, planning, hard work and patience.

The exterior of the expansive house had been painted white; its architectural details overlooked.

“It had an Italian villa flair,” says Amber, “so we worked with that

and painted the walls deep gold and the trim dark green. We added a bunch of wrought iron accents as well.”

When it came to sorting out the plantings, of which some like the Japanese lilacs and the umbrella pine were clearly carefully selected by the prior owners, the Campitellis called on renowned Berks professional landscaper Bruce Dingeldein.

They knew Dingeldein from his landscaping work at their business. “We asked him if he’d come to the house and handle the landscaping,” Amber recalls. “He said no, but that he would offer some pointers.”

DAYS WITH DINGELDEIN

The appointment was made, but the couple was a bit late in arriving home.

“By the time we got home, Bruce had done almost all the pruning,” Roberto says, “and he took on the job. What’s nice about Bruce is that he has the artist’s eye. He’ll literally put something down and view it from every angle before planting it and continuing on.”

In addition to designing the garden areas to the front, rear and sides of the house, Dingeldein also designed the hardscapes for the patios as well as the stone-bordered graveled and grass pathways, the driveway and its circular island in

berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

41

LIVING IN STYLE

Find Your FAVORITE PL ANTS 3049 Pricetown Rd. (Rt.12) Temple, PA • (610) 929-5049

gardensandgifts.com

front of the house. In the circle, Dingeldein and the Campitellis placed sunken pots to highlight their flowering plants.

“Bruce used the fieldstone native to the region for those borders,” says Roberto.

Dingeldein had a four-tier scalloped fountain anchored as the focal point of the rear garden.

Unique statuary and other intriguing artifacts and sculptures scattered through the garden areas are often discoveries of Dingeldein on his flea market, yard sale and antiquing forays.

“He’ll find something and send us a picture to see if we’d like it,” says Amber.

The Campitellis are passionate about selecting their plants, often with additional advice from Amber’s horticulturalist stepfather who was especially impressed with the property’s rare 60-foot umbrella pine.

As there were so many – in quality and quantity – perennials on the land, the couple looks for annuals that will add color, particularly when the perennials aren’t in bloom.

“I like pinks, blues, yellows, oranges,” says Amber. “Although he might not think all the colors go with the house, he plants them anyway.”

GARDENS GALORE

Indeed, in this time at the height of summer, the word “lush” is an understatement when it comes to describing the four key garden areas of Villa Tuscana.

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

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1198 Reading Blvd., Wyomissing

Offered for $1,699,900 MLS#PABK2015816

From lobelia and delphinium, both prized for their blazing blues, to varieties of begonias and coleus to multi-color impatiens and dusty millers, to elephant ears, fountain grass, caladium, flax and huge canna lillies, the many containers and planting areas are bursting with color. Ferns occupy the containers fronting the garage. Boxwoods are also part of the mix.

The pool, surrounded by a wrought iron fence and tiered planting borders, is approached from the house via a flowering vine-covered arched pergola. Plants and flowers cascade from carefully placed containers with cushy rattan furnishings nearby.

The house boasts a number of window boxes. A particularly large one spanning the breadth of four second-story windows is filled with black-eyed Susans. At the same level, single boxes spill torrents of flowers in hues of red, yellow and orange complemented by Spanish Cedar wood shutters.

And vines…everywhere there are vines because the Campitellis love them best.

There is ivy, dense bougainvillea, trumpet vines, and, of course, wisteria, all growing, spilling and cavorting along and over buildings and making a stroll under a fine pergola even more enchanting.

Clematis abounds, but one color is Amber and Roberto’s sentimental favorite.

“Sweet Autumn Clematis was in full bloom the day we got married,” says Amber. The

couple will celebrate their 23rd anniversary next month.

The cost of flowers, especially when planting hundreds of them, clearly adds up.

The Campitellis decided to cut into those costs by growing their own plants from seeds.

1633 Old Wyomissing Rd., Wyomissing

Offered for $1,499,900 MLS#PABK2015202

ANIMAL INTERESTS

So, in the past year, they built an eight-by20-foot greenhouse near the barn where it captures the most sun.

“It went up last fall, and I’m in it every day,” says Roberto.

The family’s entire vegetable garden was started by seeds. Indeed, as early as late May, some of the tomato plants were already producing ripening fruit.

“In the long term, we will be saving a lot of money,” says Amber.

The greenhouse shelters the lemon and fig trees that are moved outdoors in the spring. Roberto’s father, from whom he says he inherited his green thumb, gifted them.

During the couple’s recent vacation to Italy, their four children ranging from school age to young adults, made sure the plants were watered and the family pets cared for.

Among the “pets” are: 15 goats, some sheep, 18 chickens and five cats (three barn cats and two indoor habitants). The chickens provide between three and four dozen eggs a week.

“My mom and Roberto’s parents enjoy them,” says Amber.

13 Balthaser Rd., Sinking Spring

Offered for $549,900 MLS#PABK2016284

4168 Hill Terrace Dr., Sinkging Spring Offered for $539,000 MLS#PABK2016998

Lisa Tiger Direct: 610-207-6186 Office: 610-779-2500

www.LisaTigerHomes.com berkscountyliving.com | AUGUST 2022

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LIVING IN STYLE “Yes,” laughed Roberto, “my dad comes and steals the eggs!”

More than those eggs get “stolen.” Along with the domesticated animals, there is also an abundance of wildlife. Deer, foxes, chipmunks and squirrels are all around.

And, the deer, in particular, seem to have an affinity for tulip bulbs.

Birds find feeders and perches throughout the property, including safe havens in the bosoms of some of the Italian cypress trees, also known as Mediterranean or Tuscan cypress. This variety of tall thin cypresses are the well-known hallmarks of the Tuscan landscape, lining that area’s roadways and fields.

Favoring a more domestic setting is a cardinal that makes its presence known daily by pecking on a window. Amber likes to believe it’s a little bird she saved that’s now grown and that its visits are proof it’s doing just fine.

BUSY BEES

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The couple recently took up beekeeping, setting up three hives now home to Italian and Carniolan honey bees critical to the pollination of a span of fruit trees.

Each of the winding pathways around the house and beyond provide their own journeys. And, those pathways linking the gardens can reveal smaller nooks, including one with a wrought-iron bistro table and chairs, the perfect setting for a shared bottle of summer wine.

While sitting there sipping the late afternoon away, one might hear the sound of a trickling waterfall. Indeed, a small one

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is positioned close to the koi pond to the rear of the house, and it’s a family favorite.

Amber admits to not keeping lots of plants in the house, but those she does favor include succulents and herbs like rosemary.

She does cultivate orchids in her lightfilled office.

“I have seven or eight and one is always blooming,” she says. “I keep them in the same spot and water them once a week or even every other week. I think it’s interesting that when I bring in a new orchid, the older ones kick in (with blooms). I believe it’s the pheromones – the plants feel each other.”

While the Campitellis’ property boasts full mature landscaping, both urge others to do as they did: just get started.

“What I would say is don’t be afraid of taking that first step,” says Amber. “Start with a small section. At our first home, I took a little area and created some beauty.

Here in Pennsylvania, the weather is pretty ideal – lots of sun and rain. The garden will take off quickly, and you’ll have beauty all season long.”

Roberto concurs.

“It’s a feeling of accomplishment, really,” he says, “and it’s so nice when people stop by and take notice.”

He also believes that the influence of HGTV – of which he is a fan – as well as the stay-at-home year of COVID increased interest in home gardening. A shared interest and collaboration between spouses is another plus.

“In our case, I’m the gardener, and she’s the one planting and designing, and it works out very well.”

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45

DINING OUT

PLEASURE FOR ALL PALATES

Berkshire Family Restaurant B Y M A R IA N F RAN CES WO LBERS P H O T O S BY H EIDI REUTER

C

onveniently located on State Hill Road near Starbucks and the Berkshire Mall is the Berkshire Family Restaurant, owned

by Manny Vlastos. This dining destination won “Best Kids’ Menu” honors for 2021, as voted by Berks County Living readers — and one look at that section of the menu will surely bring a smile; it’s so creatively written. The award brought a tremendous distinction for this recently reopened business, to be sure. But their welcoming locale attracts a much broader clientele than kids, parents and grandparents!

On a recent evening were couples of all ages who say that the Berkshire has become their “date night,” a place to enjoy wine and cocktails as they check out the ever-enticing weekly list of house specials.

Groups of friends and business associates alike also have discovered the joy of dining here; some folks were dining solo, yet within the friendly layout that defines the restaurant’s atmosphere, everyone appeared perfectly content as they exchanged light banter with upbeat, attentive servers.

Extensive Menu of Berks County Faves and Worldly Specials

Vlastos and manager Allyson LaRocca explain the extensive menu is carefully designed to be broad and inclusive, all while focusing intently on flavor and freshness. In fact, Vlastos reveals, he called on a highly respected gourmet chef-friend to train the kitchen staff with recipes that would consistently please patrons. Indeed, the menu balances traditional local favorites such as super-cheesy Loaded Tots (appetizer), Meatloaf and Chicken Croquettes, against such choices as Lemon Chicken Rice Soup (Mediterranean-style), The State Hill Panini, Black Diamond Steak, Chicken Francaise (sauteed in lemonbutter sauce) and Shrimp Portofino.

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AUGUST 2022 | berkscountyliving.com

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH BRUSCHETTA

3 Starters to Try

Bruschetta – This very pretty bruschetta offers the usual acidic bite and crunch of tomatoes and chopped juicy onions, with fresh mozzarella and Romano cheeses on toasted herbed ciabatta breads. The drizzled glaze of balsamic sauce delivers a sweet-tart finish.

Berkshire Sampler – When you can’t make up your mind, this platter’s a clear choice: two crispy chicken fingers, two fried mozzarella sticks, four buffalo chicken wings, three onion rings. It comes with honey mustard and bleu cheese for tangy dipping. Everyone’s happy!

French Onion Soup – Fans of this classically presented soup with seared, melted mozzarella can lean into the Berkshire’s version with 100 percent confidence. It is divine. The key lies in the wonderful, beefy broth at the base. Says

S'MORES FRENCH TOAST IS JUST ONE OF MANY GUILTY PLEASURES AT BERKSHIRE FAMILY RESTAURANT!

Vlastos, “The chef starts the day with cooking the onions. They cook a long time.

That’s what makes it so good.” And, adds Vlastos, if you find yourself loving this French Onion Soup, “come back and order our Frenchy Burger” which imparts the same exquisite flavor.

Loaded Tots – Who doesn’t love tater tots?

Inspired by popular loaded potato skins, these appetizers are wowza shareables for the dinner table, with fresh-chopped scallions, gooey cheese and sour cream, and boasting salty chunks of bacon interspersed with the potato cubes. Utterly decadent.

FISHERMAN'S COMBO

Bershire Family Restaurant

1714 State Hill Rd. Wyomissing 610.370.7743 berkshirerestaurant.com

Shrimp Portofino and Chicken Croquettes

So many entrees! There are four full-fledged entrée salads available, including an alluring Tomato Bomb (tomato stuffed with tuna, chicken or egg salad). While beef-eaters can select from prime rib and steak, seafood lovers have their choice of broiled crabcakes, flounder, haddock and much more. The Broiled Salmon Dijon boasts of lemon-honey melodies.

Shrimp Portofino – Crazily popular with very good reason. Envision sweet shrimp and al dente ravioli filled with ricotta, plus baby spinach and shallots, bathing in an almost lemony, garlic sauce. So indulgent. (Note: Bacon is sometimes added; ask first if you don’t consume bacon.) A glass of crisp white wine pairs perfectly with this elegant dish.

Chicken Croquettes – Mixed herbal hints infuse two mounds (shaped like twin peaks) of luscious chicken made into patties using the Berkshire’s homemade recipe. Naturally, they’re served over traditional-style mashed potatoes and doused with a heavenly golden, hearth-scented turkey gravy. Infinitely satisfying.

An abundant list of hamburgers and handheld sandwiches (including French Dip), chewy-smooth Mac ’n Cheese with all sorts of accompanying options, plus many pasta options ensure that everyone will find their personal “happy food.” Added bonuses: a Seniors Menu and All-Day Breakfast.

HUEVOS RANCHEROS

Guilty Pleasures!

Last but never least are the dessert stars.

The Blackout Cake – Chocoholics will leap toward this aptly named, huge hunk of mouthwatering pleasure created in layers of chocolate fudge, chocolate ganache, chocolate cake and chocolate icing. It truly pays homage to textures and moistness imaginable in the cake-eating world.

Red Velvet Cheesecake – Get ready for this #1 “patrons’ most popular” cake. A visual wonder with its traditional red cake tiers and contrasting, creamy-gold cheesecake center, it is very sharable due to the generous portion size. The nicest part of this cake is the cheesecake itself: delicate yet firm, sweet yet not overly sugary. It’s like cheating to be able to eat red velvet cake and cheesecake together. A terrific invention.

SHRIMP PORTOFINO

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RETURN TO THE BEACH NEW SUMMER MENU

BEACH BAR NOW OPEN

BERKS PREMIER OUTDOOR DINING & BAR EXPERIENCE SUMMER SUNDAY SEAFOOD FEST

Clam Bakes:

Middle Neck Clams • Lobster Tail Shrimp • Salmon • BBQ ½ Chicken #1 Maryland Hard Shell Crabs By “Crab Crazy” Only $3.99 ea.

YAPPY HAPPY SUNDAYS

Dogs Welcome

Sundays 11am to 5pm

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Savory at Home order from our Savory at Home menu and shop our retail offerings at

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Our Diabetic Footwear program is overseen by Certified and state licensed Pedorthist Amanda Grimes.

Amanda has over 12 years’ experience as a Certified Pedorthist in Berks County. She has studied foot anatomy and pathology, biomechanics, shoe construction and modification.

OUR DR. COMFORT SHOES ARE PRIMARILY AVAILABLE THROUGH HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WHO SPECIALIZE IN FOOT HEALTH. PROPER FOOTWEAR CAN HELP PREVENT MORE SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS FOR THOSE AT RISK OF DIABETES. IF YOU QUALIFY, MEDICARE OR OTHER INSURANCE PLANS MAY HELP COVER THE COST.

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Advice for what matters most, when you need it most Congratulations to Mark A. Maggs for being named to the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” 2022 list.

Working with a dedicated advisor means you get personalized investment strategies from Merrill plus access to the broader banking capabilities, tools and technology only Bank of America can deliver.

Maggs & Associates Mark A. Maggs, CIMA®, CPFA® Managing Director Wealth Management Advisor 610.320.5462 mark_maggs@ml.com Merrill Lynch Wealth Management 985 Berkshire Boulevard Suite 200 Wyomissing, PA 19610 fa.ml.com/maggs

Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Data as of 6/30/21. Source: Forbes.com (April, 2022). Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual, and telephone due diligence meetings to measure best practices; also considered are: client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. Rankings are based on the opinions of Forbes and not representative nor indicative of any one client’s experience, future performance, or investment outcome and should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor. For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”) makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”). MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, Member SIPC and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

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