Berks County Parks & Recreation Spring 2023 Events

SPRINGINTO OUTDOOR FUN with Berks County Parks

By Lauren Adele Little, PR & Marketing Coordinator, Berks County Parks & Recreation

Are you looking for a place to enjoy the great outdoors? Want to learn more about Berks County’s rich history? Interested in ways to encourage your kids to get outside and be active? The Berks County Parks & Recreation Department has a little something for everyone. The beautiful parks in the County system are open for recreation year-round, but also offer a full schedule of programming that is often free or low-cost.

The Berks County Parks and Recreation Department is excited to continue some of its favorite programs in 2023, including the 35th year of Holiday Lights, and introduce some new ones! Some of the most popular new programs include the monthly Read with a Ranger program, which teaches toddlers about the environment as they become honorary Junior Rangers, the Summer Drop-In Art program for kids, and Museum Day, where visitors can see how the Gruber WagonWorks operated in its heyday.

The Berks County Park system includes nine parks, with the most well-known sites located along the Tulpehocken Creek. Gring’s Mill Recreation Area is one of the most-visited parks as the historic property serves as the backdrop for runs, concerts, and the everpopular Holiday Lights celebration.

Follow the Union Canal Tow Path North and you will come across the Berks County Heritage Center. This site is the home to many historic buildings, both original and relocated to the site:

The Gruber Wagon Works, which is a National Historic Landmark, the C. Howard Heister Canal Museum and a beautiful, covered bridge with its own park, the Red Bridge Recreation Area.

The Berks Leisure Area is found just south of Gring’s Mill and offers a large pavilion for rent and a pickleball court. Continue further down the Union Canal trail and you’ll find the Stonecliffe Recreation Area, which is the home of an action sports park for skateboarders, skaters, and BMX riders.

On the wilder side, the County owns Antietam Lake and the Angora Fruit Farm, which is home to roughly 12 miles of trails, a lake and two ponds. Programming on this site includes things like a Glow Hike, Hike & Yoga, and nature education programs.

The County also owns the Allegheny Aqueduct/ Beidler House which is utilized for seasonal programming, and the Youth Recreation Facility, a sports complex leased to Big Show Sports for leagues and tournaments.

Be on the lookout for even more fun programs as the Berks Parks team comes up with new ideas to get people outdoors for entertainment and education. To keep up with all of the programming and happenings, follow @berkscountyparks on Facebook.

APRIL 2023

Tuesday, April 18

Read with a Ranger: Earth Day

10 a.m. at Bingaman House

Join Park Ranger Doug Grove on an adventure! Kids ages 3-5 are invited to enjoy a themed story, go for a walk on the trail and complete a craft to become an honorary Junior Ranger. The theme for April is Earth Day. Parents/guardians must attend with their child (this is not a drop-off program). This program is FREE, but registration is required. Contact Lisa Gauker at 610-374-2944, ext 2611 or lgauker@countyofberks.com.

Thursday, April 20

Celebrate Earth Day: Pollinator Water Station

5:30 p.m. at Berks Leisure Area

Celebrate Earth Day by promoting the wildlife in your own backyard! Create your own simple bee watering station and learn why providing a good place to stop and take a drink can be beneficial to lots of wildlife! $5 per project. Pre-registration required. Contact Lisa Gauker at 610-374-2944, ext 2611 or lgauker@countyofberks.com.

Thursday, April 20

Colonial Homeschool Day

11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Beidler House

Join the Berks County Parks Department and the Field and Forest Homeschool Group at the historic 18th century Beidler House. Outdoor craft demonstrations and tours through the Beidler House will be available.This event is FREE and open to the public. For more information, contact Daniel Roe at 610-374-8839, ext. 201 or droe@countyofberks.com.

Saturday, April 29

Berks Family Fun Day

11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Berks County Heritage Center

Berks County Parks and Western Berks YMCA are hosting a family fun day at the Heritage Center to celebrate its opening weekend for the 2023 season. The day kicks off with a 5k fundraiser at 9 a.m., followed by a slew of festivities at 11 a.m., including a pig roast, mac & cheese cookoff, Kids Color Run, food trucks, vendors and more. Visit www.ymcabc.org for more information and a full list of activities and vendors. Pre-registration for the 5K is through Pretzel City Sports & RunSignUp.

Saturday, April 29

Opening Day at the Berks County Heritage Center

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Join us for opening day of the Berks County Heritage Center’s 2023 season! The park’s museums and Visitor Center Barn, which includes the Snack Bar and Country Store, will be open Thursdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours of the National Historic Landmark, the Gruber Wagon Works, will be offered every hour, with the last tours departing at 3 p.m. The Canal Center will be open for walk-in visitors by suggested donation. The Epler’s One Room Schoolhouse will be open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, please visit www.countyofberks.com/parks or contact Daniel Roe at droe@countyofberks.com or 610-374-8839, ext. 201

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Photo by Lauren Adele Little

Photo by Lauren Adele Little

April

MAY 2023

Friday, May 5

Full Moon Hike | 8 p.m. at Gring’s Mill

Step out onto the Union Canal Trail to experience the parks after dark. We’ll take a stroll on the trail and look skyward to enjoy the celestial sights while learning more about history, the natural world, and more. This program is FREE, but pre-registration is required. Contact Lisa Gauker at lgauker@countyofberks.com or 610-374-2944, ext 2611.

Saturday, May 6

National Regiment Civil War Encampment

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Berks County Heritage Center

Berks County Heritage Center

Officers from the National Regiment, an American Civil War reenactment group with more than 15 units throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, will set up camp at the Heritage Center. Guests are invited to explore an authentically recreated Civil War encampment, experience military drills and activities and discover what solider life was like during the Civil War. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, May 6

Women in the Civil War

11 a.m. at Berks County Heritage Center

Local historian Hallie Vaughn will provide an overview of the contributions of women during the American Civil War. Vaughn will highlight women who dedicated their lives, or part of their lives, to what they believed in. Some were spies, some were couriers and some disguised themselves as men to fight. Their stories might not be familiar, but after the program, you will wonder why they are not more well known. Free and open to the public.

Sunday, May 7

Wildflower Walk | 9 a.m. at Gring’s Mill

Join naturalist Kathy Grim on a guided walk, starting from Gring’s Mill and heading out on the Union Canal Trail, to locate and identify some of the wildflowers that call the Berks County Parks home. This event is FREE and designed for adults. Pre-registration required. Contact Kathy Grim at kgrim@countyofberks.com or 610-374-2944, ext. 2615.

Saturday, May 13

Hike & Yoga w/AquaOm

9 a.m. at Angora Road Trailhead

Join us for a mindful exploration of Antietam Park. Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Cost is $5 per person. No rain date. Pre-registration required via Aqua Om at www.aopaddle.com.

Saturday, May 13

Mother’s Tree History Hike at Antietam Lake Park

12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Join Parks’ staff for a hike at Antietam Lake Park that will delve into the history of the planting of the Mother’s Tree in 1923 and highlight the many historical building remnants visible along the trails. The hike will begin at the Angora Trailhead parking lot, 230 Angora Road. Event is free but pre-registration is required by May 10.

Contact Daniel Roe at droe@countyofberks.com or 610-374-8839, ext. 201.

Join Sorlien, author of the new book, Inland: The Abandoned Canals of the Schuylkill Navigation, as she reveals what she found along the essential middle section of the system that ran through Berks County via the Hamburg Canal, the Duncan Canal, the Reading Canal, and the Berks half of the Girard Canal. Historic and contemporary maps will put this section in context, including rarely seen 1827 watercolor maps by Thomas Gill and a 2022 map by Morgan Pfaelzer. Sandy’s book will be available for sale and signing after the talk. Program is free and open to the public.

Sunday, May 21

Cindy Ross: Walking Toward Peace

1 p.m. at Berks County Heritage Center

Tuesday, May 16 | Read with a Ranger: Waterways

10 a.m. at Berks County Heritage Center

Join Park Ranger Doug Grove on an adventure! Kids ages 3-5 are invited to enjoy a themed story, go for a walk on the trail and complete a craft to become an honorary Junior Ranger. This theme for May is Waterways. Parents/guardians must attend with their child (this is not a drop-off program). This program is FREE, but registration is required.

Contact Lisa Gauker at lgauker@countyofberks.com or 610-374-2944, ext 2611

Saturday, May 20

The Schuylkill Navigation System in Berks County

11 a.m. at Berks County Heritage Center

Starting in Schuylkill County and continuing down the Schuylkill River to Philadelphia, 19th century Schuylkill Navigation Company boats brought anthracite by canal and slack water from the Coal Region to tidewater markets, creating boom towns in between. Today, the Schuylkill Navigation System is abandoned, but is not entirely gone. Over the past ten years, Sandy Sorlien has photographed the remaining stone infrastructure – locks, aqueducts, and dam abutments – along all 108 miles of the system.

Join author, artist, and triple crown thru-hiker Cindy Ross as she shares her insight into finding peace among nature and how it’s helped veterans and everyday citizens struggling with their mental health. Ross will share about the positive impacts of hiking, community, and the healing aspects of nature that she discovered through her incredible life adventures, from building a log cabin by hand to guiding veterans through long distance hikes on our national trails. Cindy’s husband recently suffered a tragic accident and is now a quadriplegic. Cindy will share how this major life change has affected them and how accessibility to the outdoors is more important than ever! All are welcome, but veterans are especially encouraged to attend. We’ll head out on the Union Canal Trail after the lecture to enjoy some time on the trail. The trail is flat and made of packed gravel for those with mobility concerns. $5 per person, veterans are FREE. Event includes light refreshments. Contact Lisa Gauker at lgauker@countyofberks.com or 610-374-2944, ext 2611

Saturday, May 27 | Schoolhouse Games

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Berks County Heritage Center

Join the Friends of the Epler’s One Room Schoolhouse to discover hands-on games that were enjoyed by students of the past. Step inside the newly restored school and experience what student life was like in a one-room schoolhouse. Games and activities will be available every fourth Saturday from May through October. Activities are free and open to the public.

Photo by Lauren Adele Little