AROUND TOWN BERKS BITS
Kutztown Folk Festival Back In-Person
From Fan to Business Owner
Danielle Zeamer discovered Clean Eatz about two years as a customer. She says simply, “I got weekly meal plans and fell in love with the concept. It saved me so much time and gave me healthy and delicious meals I could eat on the go with an extremely busy lifestyle.” Now she’s brought Clean Eatz to Wyomissing. Zeamer explains that Clean Eatz is multifaceted: it’s an eat-in café with an amazing menu for everyone, including food for kids; a graband-go area with frozen meals that Zeamer likens to grocery store shopping (shop those you like and stock up); and a weekly meal plan service that changes each week and allows customers to shop online. No subscription is required. Café meal favorites include the build-a-bowl option as it’s customizable and the “Watch Your Waist Wrap.” Asserts Zeamer, “We do all the work for you so you can have more time for the things you need. We’re here to help you gain, maintain or lose weight and to create a lifestyle of clean eating.” Open daily. For more info visit cleaneatz.com. – NIKKI M. MURRY
Head to the Fairgrounds in Kutztown July 2 through 10 for the Kutztown Folk Festival, America’s Oldest Folklife Festival, as it returns to in-person status.
1Crafts. .
The festival features more than 200 of America’s finest craftsmen and folk artists, including such mediums as papercutting, pottery, metalworking, chair caning and much more.
A New, Unique Event Space Opens
Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary event space with a spectacular view? You can find it, perhaps unsurprisingly, at Berks Nature. The Rookery opened this past March and is an environmentally responsible and aesthetically respectful addition to the existing camp of The Nature Place. Set atop Berks Nature’s Preschool, the airy interior and rooftop patio can host up to 300 with a lookout over 100 acres of Angelica Creek Park. Berks Nature’s intent is to utilize The Rookery to expand its educational programming and to rent the space for additional income to support the nonprofit. Says Berks Nature President Kim Murphy, “This additional space will enable Berks Nature to significantly increase our impact in the community by helping to connect thousands of people to nature.” The Rookery addition emphasizes sustainable architecture, too. Energy efficiency is addressed by using sheep wool insulation and natural light is maximized through ample window design and placement. For more info visit berksnature.org. – NIKKI M. MURRY
Nature Appreciation at Heart of Junior Gardener Program
Are you the parent of a young nature lover? If you answered “yes,” then the Junior Gardener Adventure Program at Riverview Garden and Gifts in Temple is a must to check out. Aimed at children age 7 to 12 years and their parents, participants stop in for an adventure journal and parents sign up to receive Adventure Challenge emails. Each Friday morning a new challenge is released for parents and children to tackle. Alternately, parents can join a dedicated Facebook group for the updates. Children should document their adventures in their journals by drawing, writing, taking pictures and the like. Once four challenges have been completed, stop back in to claim an Adventure Award in the form of a sticker, pin or a prize from the prize bin. The program runs year-round and adventures are released suited to every season. Says Alaina Salks at Riverview, “One of my favorite challenges is the nature mandala. You collect objects from nature and make your own mandala from what you found.” Learn more by visiting online at gardensandgifts. com/junior-gardener-program. – NIKKI M. MURRY
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JULY 2022 | berkscountyliving.com
2For.the Kids.
There are activities galore for children, including a popular petting zoo, puppet making, story time, sing-along music and barn star drawing, just to name a sampling.
3.
Great Eats.
Food is absolutely a festival highlight. Make room for a fullcourse Pennsylvania Dutch meal, some funnel cake, apple dumplings or corn fritters. New this year is the Fresh Fest Market with healthier offerings featuring local ingredients. Want to learn more? Visit kutztownfestival.com.
Blast Off for Independence Day
FirstEnergy Stadium will be home to not one, but two opportunities to view grand fireworks displays Independence Day weekend. On both July 2 and 3 after the 6:45pm Reading Fightins game, attendees can enjoy Mega Blast Fireworks, billed as the largest fireworks show in stadium history. For more info visit fightins.com.
