Letter from the Manager

Letter from the Manager The WEST of 2022

by Mark Ratcliffe, Main Street Manager, West Reading Community Revitalization Foundation

The West of 2022. A big part of West Reading’s rebranding was understanding what our strengths are. They are Arts, Entertainment and Health. These are the strengths of our Main Street and what we look to build upon as we look to grow this year and beyond.

We are excited to expand our public arts this year with more murals helping to connect Penn Ave with our mural corridors. We will also look to do more than just murals and live music. Public art can be sculptures, light displays, interactive art, and various types of performance art. Art helps bring our Avenue to life even when our shops are closed.

We will continue to support and grow our health-oriented businesses working closer with the Reading Hospital and the businesses that support the hospital along with our restaurants, farmers market and added safety measures to help grow a healthier community.

You will see more events in 2022 that will continue to include 2nd Fridays and our Farmers Market. We will be adding another restaurant week, a bridal walk, a farm to table dine out and some more wine, beer and liquor strolls. Speaking of Restaurant Week, we kicked off the year with a new Restaurant Week in mid-January followed by Ice and Spice hosted by the West Reading Tavern. When visiting our merchants tell them you saw West Reading Avenues magazine!

These wintertime events draw a great crowd with creative prefix menus, hot spiced drinks, and world class ice carvers. February brought Galantines Day on the Saturday before Valentine’s Day. West Reading Fashion Week is back for a fun interactive event early March.

Find Your Dream Home!

Jazz Fest is also in March then on to our Craft Pretzel & Beer Fest on April 23rd, a Bridal Walk in May all leading up to Plein Air and Art on the Ave in June.

That is a lot, but that is only the first half of the year. We will also have a few smaller events sprinkled in to round out West Reading’s Spring and Summer events. All in all, this will be an exciting year in West Reading, so get ready to enjoy more art, live a little healthier and have a lot more fun!