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4New Location and Concept Art Unveiled for Purposed Reading Skatepark
6Speed Networking Connects Local Business Professionals
8Haunted Maze Coming to the Kenhorst Shopping Plaza
10Alien Worlds and Androids Exhibit
Lands at the Reading Public Museum
12How to Achieve a Wealthy Mindset for your Fitness Goals
14Anit Bullying Movement ‘It’s Cool to be Kind’ Reaches Local Schools
16Kid Magic: Bringing Smiles to Penn Street and Beyond
20Artist Kelly Hoffman Builds LEGO Pagoda 22How to Celebrate Your Dogs Birthday in Style!
24Peanut and Tot: Locally Made Special Occasion Outfits
26Berks ARL Believes All Paws Are Worth Saving
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New Location and Concept Art Unveiled for Purposed Reading Skatepark Plans for the Reading Skatepark are steadily moving forward! The public gathered for the second planning meeting in May at Canal Street Pub and Restaurant. The meeting showcased the new concept art for the park along with details on the design. Representative of Grindline, skatepark developer based in Seattle, WA, Micah Shapiro gave a small presentation before taking questions and comments from the audience. A lot has changed since the first public design meeting in October of 2017. The first being the location of the skatepark. The original plan was to build the park on Riverfront Drive across from Penske. 4 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
Due to a large amount of underground utility lines on the property, the Reading Skatepark Association made the decision to move the purposed park. The new location is a vacant lot on Canal Street near South 6th. The past 6 months the RSA and
Grindline have reviewed hundreds of suggestions from the community. A few of the most popular items to be incorporated into the park will be railroad tracks, a tribute to Albert Boscov, and a Pagoda sunshade. Shapiro presented the semi-final design, which includes 22,000 square feet of skateable space, bowls transitions, and an area for beginners. His goal is to design a destination park that will draw in people from neighboring city’s. Out of the total space available on the lot, only one side is being used for the skatepark. during the community meeting several ideas were brought up on how to utilize the rest of the space. A few of them included basketball courts, a parking lot and bringing back the Reading Bike Hub’s Pump Track. “It seemed like everybody was happy with the design. We have some minor tweaks in
general we’ll keep pushing forward.” - Shapiro said. So, what’s the future look like? Although there isn’t another public design meeting planned, Shapiro says the public is encouraged to continue to submit ideas. The next step is formalizing the concept for the city and raising funds. We followed up with JD Turner, President of the Reading Skatepark Association and owner of Holistic Skateshop in West Reading after the meeting to get his take on the development process. “It was a good turnout, there were a bunch of avid skateboarders from different generations in the audience tonight. The more people involved the more feedback we can give back to Grineline.” - JD Turner Get involved! Visit the Reading Skatepark Association website to give feeback on the project: readingskateparkassociation.org
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Speed Networking Connects Local Business Professionals It’s been one year since Limarys Rodriguez, owner of LMG Web Design began connecting local business professionals. Besides managing her business and design websites, Limarys is the creator of Berks County Speed Networking, an event series hosted throughout the county.
Going to a networking event can be tricky for a “first timer”. People are usually paired in groups, some leave early, the list goes on.. Limarys wanted to solve this problem for herself and clients. Speed networking was the solution, a place where everyone was on an equal playing field.
To host the one-year anniversary, Limarys chose Piazza Honda/ Acura of Reading. 50 business professionals sat among classic cars to network. Over the last year roughly 400 people have attended her events, bringing Berks County professionals closer together.
The concept is simple, people sit across from each other in a row. After 1 minute a bell rings and everyone moves to the right. Now your’e in front of a new person and the process starts again. Although it’s a fast paces environment, it’s just enough time to meet someone new and make a connection. Exchanging business cards are common practice to contact a person later.
If you are not familiar, the goal of the speed networking event is to provide a platform where business minded professionals can get together in a fast paced, effective, and fun environment. Speed networking is what it sounds like, quick, focused opportunities to meet those who can catapult your career or business. Limarys tells us she came up with the idea from attending other local networking events. “I wanted to be able to go a networking event and meet everyone in the room. That was my goal walking in, but it wouldn’t always happen, for a whole bunch of reasons…” Limarys said.
“I love hearing the success stories from people who have made connections, it’s makes all of the hard work planning the event worth it” said Limarys. Keep up with the latest speed networking events at www.berkscountyspeednetworking.com
Limarys Rodriguez (left) joins the speed networking rotation.
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Haunted Maze Coming to the Kenhorst Shopping Plaza Kenhorst is about to get a little scarier this fall… In a good way. You may remember last year Reading Magazine featured Kenhorst resident, Branden Moyer and his haunted maze ‘Corn Stalkers’. After years of operating the attraction out of his back yard Moyer is now expanding his operation and re-branding his organization to ‘Kenhorst Horror Nights’. “For the past 4 years, we have operated as a Home Haunt. This year, we are going to operate professionally in a new location with over 4000sqft. of haunt next to Retro Fitness in Kenhorst” said Moyer. Moyers haunted maze will be located between Retro Fitness and the former Dollar Tree building. Previously used as a mini golf course, 8 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
Moyer plans to build his latest haunted maze “Moonlight Massacre” from scratch. The new location will not only increase the size of the attraction, but offer customers better parking, lighted pathways, bathrooms, and food. “We will have tripled our original size from 1200 sqft to over 4000 sqft, offering an even longer experience than before. Something that our past guests have said they wanted.” said Moyer. Along with the new venue, Moyer says the admission will increase from $3 to $10 dollars, and kids under 5 will still be free. As with previous years Moyer will be donating the profit from his haunted attraction to the Spirit of Children Foundation. The attraction is set to open October 5, open every weekend through October.
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Alien Worlds and Androids Exhibit Lands at the Reading Public Museum The question are we alone in the universe has fascinated mankind for centuries. From books to movies and everything in between, the idea is dissected from every angle. The Reading Public Museum’s new summer exhibition, Alien Worlds and Androids, jumps into the tantalizing theories of space travel and life beyond earth from May 19 –September 4, 2018. 10 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
Inside this exhibit are nine themed environments that will immerse museum-goers in a wide variety of discoveries and theories on space travel and the possibility of life beyond the planet earth. The exhibition includes hands-on experiments, real live robots, and more. Visitors will find a life-size C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars, an exact replica of Tony Stark’s Iron
Man suit, robots from the Terminator movies, and they can even ride along with the Mars Rover. “We are excited to bring this exhibition to the Reading community. It features educational content on subjects to excite the entire family,” says Director and CEO of The Museum, John Graydon Smith.
The Reading Public Museum is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and is located at 500 Museum Road, Reading, Pa. Admission per day is: $10 adults (18-64), $6 children/ seniors/college students (w/ID) and free to Members and children three years old and under. The Museum is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
With hands-on exhibits designed to bring this science to spectacular life, visitors will come away with a desire to look to the stars and see what’s out there. From deepsea exploration to robotics and cyborgs, there is plenty to engage the imagination and ignite curiosity. To celebrate the exhibition, The Museum is hosting a family day on June 15 with activities, games, ice cream, and more. Visit readingpublicmuseum.org for details. Alien Worlds and Androids is produced by GES Events and sponsored locally by Jerome I. Marcus, M.D.
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How to Achieve a Wealthy Mindset for your Fitness Goals
By Micahel Hartman Hello my friends! This month we are going to take a break from the personal trainer profiles to discuss the way you look at your health and going to the gym. Mindset. What is mindset? It’s the mental state that you get in, or the average of your mental state over the course of your lifetime. It can be positive or negative during different time periods. It is safe to say that the more often your mindset is positive however, the more positive the outcomes of your life will become. How do I achieve a wealthy mindset for fitness ? There are five ways that I get myself into a positive state of mind for fitness and life.
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I have an attitude of gratitude.
Every single day I take a look at my life and the things that I have achieved and I give a few moments of appreciation for those things. This can include a weight loss, muscle growth, or improved lung capacity with your workouts. In normal life this can be the car you drive, spouse you are with, your children, or achieving a college degree.
will inevitably work out if I keep working hard on my goals.
I journal about all the positive things that happened each day.
I genuinely think about how luck I am and the human race is in general.
At the end of each day I will sit down and write down the best 5 things that happened to me each day. This could be simple
All of the time our world and universe has been here and yet we are still breathing, walking, talking, and just scratching the surface of what is yet to come.
I take a moment each day or week to complement someone else on the achievements they have achieved.
I know not all of these 5 things are fitness related, but I believe being a well-rounded fitness professional means that I should help my clients physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually, and mentally. If you are to succeed in any area of life these 5 things will certainly help. I love to talk about these things, so if there is ever a time you want to talk about this reach out to me and I would be glad to chat!
Nothing feels better than telling someone something that you noticed about them that makes you inspired, happy, or more determined in your own life.
I trust that the universe or god has a plan in place for me and that things
Here is where a little faith comes in to play. Whatever you believe in, it is important to have something you believe in because those thoughts will get you through the tough times and propel you in the good times.
Onward and Upward my friends!
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Anti Bullying Movement ‘It’s Cool to be Kind’ Reaches Local Schools In her new book, “It’s Cool to be Kind”, author Linnea McFadden illustrates the culture of bullying and how kids can address it.
Kind” Movement, to extend the message of her book.
Between the pages, average kid “Beckett Barnes” loves school and playing sports, but once a new boy moves into town, everything turns upside down.
Speaking at school assemblies, McFadden uses her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Georgia and experience with child abuse prevention programs to engage students through exercises that promote teamwork.
McFadden hopes that by providing a story kids can relate to, it will encourage them to be kind to one another. To do this McFadden developed the “It’s Cool to be
McFadden says the concept of the characters came about from her own life experiences. “There was a boy in my son’s school that I heard about, I was nervous when
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they finally had a class together. When I met the boy, it was my impression that he was sad, which is why he was acting out.”
“I’ve had a lot of great feedback from both students and teachers. I’m not the most outgoing myself, so it’s always nice to hear good things.” Looking to the future, McFadden is hoping to work with schools on developing ‘It’s Cool to be Kind’ Clubs. Her other goal is to partner with township programs and camps, hosting kindness activities, games and arts and crafts.
Mcfadden used this to allow young readers to see the other side of bullying. In the book, the struggles of moving casues the bully to act out in school. “I read somewhere that when you teach kindness at a young age, you decrease bullying, and that’s what gave me the push to write a book, something kids can relate to” As the two characters ultimately become friends in the end, McFadden is hoping her book inspires kids to do the same through the ‘It’s Cool the be Kind’ movement.
Looking for help in marketing her book, McFadden found a unique partnership with an Alvernia University Public Relations class. Selected as a service learning partner, the class uses McFadden’s book to gain real world experience in the industry. “I didn’t know how to market myself, I’m always nervous to reach out to people. I feel so lucky to have their help, finding new ways to promote the book and its message”
To spread the word, McFadden reached out to local schools to hold assemblies. In the assembles, McFadden talks about the importance of confidence, respect, and how kids can react when they’re put in an uncomfortable situation. Looking for students to engage, McFadden breaks assemblies into group sessions. Here, kids can work together on activities that promote teamwork and friendship.
Learn more about McFadden’s book and ‘It’s Cool to be Kind’ Movement at: cooltobekindmovement.com
“You CAN make a difference in this world by being kind.” rdgmag.com - Reading Magazine | 15
Kid Magic: Bringing Smiles to Penn Street and Beyond By Dani Motze
You can find Kid Magic, with his stuffed rabbit Bonny, performing magic tricks in the corner of American Coffee House on days when school lets out early. Kid Magic, aka Tyron, a sixth grader in the Reading School District, felt bad asking his mom for money to go out and do things and wanted to find something that he could do that didn’t cost money - and maybe even would earn him a little. The staff at Russo’s sometimes gives him odd jobs to do, like folding boxes, but they don’t always need an extra hand. So, when Tyron saw a street performer on TV, and 16 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
how much money people were leaving in tips, he knew he was on to something. By reading books about magic tricks and experimenting with making up his own tricks, and practicing a whole lot, Tyron has built up enough to perform, “It takes a lot of guts to be a magician and get out there to perform your tricks,” he said. He’s been doing magic for four years. Tyron said that sometimes he gets bullied at school and he stopped going to the park because kids would chase him. Then, he didn’t have a much easier time performing on Penn Street, because people who were
panhandling would glom onto him in order to catch the attention of passersby. Then, a former American Coffee House staff member saw him and invited him to set up inside. Now he has a safe space where he can do his magic, “[The staff and customers] are nice and generous and sometimes I talk to them when I’m lonely.” Tyron pays that kindness and generosity forward: he likes to help out at home by doing the dishes and extra chores. (But, he admits that he isn’t great about keeping his room clean, “I need to go home and do that, actually,” he said with a smile.)
The latter was inspired by his own wobbly practice. He also hand-sewed a jacket for Bonny and is working on making a hat. “I imagined that Bonny said, “Why do you get to wear clothes and I don’t?” so I made Bonny a jacket from a piece of my old clothing.” He said that he and his mom might move in the future, but for now, he is really enjoying practicing magic in Reading and making people smile, “I really like it here. I’ve made friends who look out for me, and I have a reputation for doing magic.”
When a little girl asked to try on his cape and hat, and hold stuffed rabbit Bonny, he gladly let her, “My favorite part about doing magic is making people smile.” Tyron wants to be an inventor when he grows up, and already has drawn the concepts for an unbreakable bow staff and a safe practice skateboard, swapping out wheels with foam.
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Genesius Theatre Presents: The Bridges of Madison County Based on the best-selling novel, and developed by the Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning creative team of Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World) and Marsha Norman, The Bridges of Madison County captures the lyrical expanse of America’s heartland along with the yearning entangled in the eternal question” “What if...?” Winner 18 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
of the 2014 Tony Award for Best Score and Orchestrations, this sweeping romance about the roads we travel, the doors we open and the bridges we dare to cross will leave audiences breathless. Performing June 22 thru July 1 2018. Genesius Theatre 153 North 10th Street Reading PA 19601 610-373-9500 genesiussocial@gmail.com
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Artist Kelly Hoffman Builds LEGO Pagoda 20 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
Reading’s famous Pagoda is now a LEGO set thanks to local artist Kelly Hoffman. Comprised of 6,000 bricks the red building took Hoffman two months to piece together. Hoffman’s love for LEGO’s began when she was five. Today, she is a member of several LEGO clubs displaying her work throughout the region. Most recently attending Brick Fest at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. “I’ve had the idea for years, but I didn’t start until a few months ago.” said Hoffman
and even sourced window frames from a company in Poland. One of the most unique aspects of the LEGO Pagoda is the detail. As a modular set, it comes part. Taking off the roof, Hoffman can show off the interior of the building. She even added LEGO people around the building. The Pagoda is just the beginning, Hoffman is taking suggestions on what her next Berks landmark should be.
So how do you begin to build your own LEGO set? Well, without any instructions Hoffman says the trick is in the research. “The roof really stumped me, I took multiple field trips to the Pagoda to inspect it. Plus, I watched drone video to get an ariel view” Hoffman Said. Pieces are not easy to come by. Hoffman used various bricks from her own personal collection, ordered pieces online,
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How to Celebrate Your Dogs Birthday in Style! Dogs hold a special place in our hearts. They comfort us when times are bad, make us laugh, and even get into things they shouldn’t. So, it’s only natural to treat them like a member of the family. Thanks to Oasis Dog Spa & Shoppe in Muhlenberg, man’s best friend not only has a place to be papered but also celebrate their big day. 22 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
With over 12 years’ experience in the dog grooming industry, Carlytta Camper, owner of Oasis Dog Spa & Shoppe, has always had a passion for dogs. Finally taking the leap to branch out on her own, Camper wanted to create a place where dogs could not only be pampered, but to feel relaxed and have fun. So, in 2016 Camper opened Oasis Dog Spa.
Being a Southern California native, Camper found inspiration from the tranquility of the beach, which is the main theme of her store. “I’ve been grooming for so long starting my own business was the natural next step. I already knew what products and services I’d offer” said Camper.
she finally found two businesses, one in Florida and another in Massachusetts that carried unique dog birthday treats.
Oasis offers a wide variety of services for dogs including: Bath packages, pedicures, aromatherapy and body treatments. Looking to provide her customers with more value Camper stocked the front of her grooming business with everything from dog treats, collars, and toys.
Have a birthday coming up for your four-legged friends? You may want to visit Carlytta at her shop on Route 61 in Muhlenberg. www.oasisdogspa.com
“People are shocked when they see the selection, especially kids. Then you see the wheels turning, and I give them ideas on how to celebrate” said Camper.
“Something I am emphatic about is supporting American made goods, especially hand made. Being an artist myself I appreciate good craftsmanship and wanted to support others in their crafts.” Said Camper. With two years already under her belt as a small business owner, and her past grooming experience, Camper thought she’d seen it all. Celebrating her client’s dogs birthdays were always important, but that slowly changed as her clients began planning doggy birthday parties.
Bettis for his 10th Birthday. Photo Credit: Ty Forry
“I haven’t seen anyone in the area cater to dog birthdays, so when my customers started to request items for parties, I went looking for unique things to offer at my store.” said Camper. What started out as a small whimsical section has now taken over an entire corner of her store. Camper now carries a wide variety of dog friendly edibles. Everything from cakes to birthday hats, edible birthday cards, and cookies. Camper says finding quality hand baked dog treats made in the USA was a challenge. After weeks of researching online,
Zachary celebrating his 12th Birthday! Photo credit: Carlytta Camper rdgmag.com - Reading Magazine | 23
Peanut and Tot: Locally Made Special Occasion Outfits The best businesses are started out of necessity, and for one Boyertown couple trying to make ends meet, that meant transforming ordinary pieces of fabric into something special.
Balasa’s problem? She couldn’t find anything cute and affordable for her daughter to wear for her first birthday. Balasa’s unique solution was to break out the sewing machine.
With the help of her husband and kids, Danni Balasa, owner of Peanut and Tot, cut the ribbon on her new store front in Boyertown. The ceremony was presented in part by the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce and Building a Better Boyertown.
It didn’t take long for others to notice her work, that’s when Balasa opened an online store on the popular crafting website, Etsy. In 2011, Peanut and Tot was born!
For Balasa, the journey of building an online empire began seven years ago with the birth of her first daughter, Bella. 24 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
Originally selling birthday outfits for girls, Balasa quickly expanded her clothing line to include boys, eventually offering outfits for every occasion from Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, 4th of July, to Christmas and Easter.
Fast forward to January of this year, Balasa found herself with a new, but good problem. Space. Operating the business out of her home worked for the several years, however Balasa knew she couldn’t do it forever. Living and driving through Boyertown the answer was simple, find a store front on Philadelphia Ave that could both double as a warehouse and showroom. Stocked with products designed by Balasa, the store also features handmade items from other local moms. “Although not a consignment store, my goal is to keep producing handmade items, and help other women try to make an income.” Balasa said.
already has a Princess Tea Party lined up for June 23rd. To celebrate the new store, Balasa will be hosting a grand opening party Saturday, June 2nd from 10am – 6pm. The day includes free face painting, 10% off the store, and the first 5 customers get free personalization on any item ($10 value). Go checkout Peanut and Tot yourself at 600 E Philadelphia Ave, Boyertown 19512. peanutandtot.com
Looking to expand beyond simply stocking new outfits and accessories, Balasa is hoping to turn her store into a classy events venue for kids. In fact, Balasa
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Berks ARL Believes All Paws Are Worth Saving By Lauren Conrad, Do It Local Fundraising
What once seemed like an impossible dream is quickly becoming reality for the Animal Rescue League of Berks County. It has been only a few months since the ARL Board of Directors voted unanimously for the organization to become a no-kill shelter, and already incredible strides are being made. Currently maintaining a 94% live release rate for this year, the ARL could not be more pleased with the number of animals it has been able to save and help find forever homes. This essentially means that, for every 100 animals that come through their doors, 94% of them leave alive! The other 6% represents animals that were suffering, untreatable, or too dangerous to be released back into the community. In order to officially be considered a “no-kill” shelter, the ARL needs to sustain an average live release rate of over 90%. This largely depends on the community’s involvement! Executive Director Tom Hubric reiterates, “To date, we estimate that our Push P.A.W.S. initiative has saved more than 750 animals since we implemented our no-kill philosophy. We are so proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we know the true test is ahead through the summer months as our intake of homeless animals rises dramatically and sharply. We are so appreciative of the support the community has shown us so far, but we are far from having enough of a financial and caretaking foundation in place to feel confident and comfortable that we’ll achieve our goals immediately. We continue to desperately need more help.” 26 | Reading Magazine - rdgmag.com
If you love animals as much as we do, there are several key ways that you can get involved! FOSTER – Foster families who are willing to welcome animals in their homes on a temporary basis until their forever homes can be found are key to this organization. Fostering is free and there is no long-term commitment. All you need is love and some space in your home for a homeless animal who is not yet old enough to be adopted or cannot be accommodated at the ARL kennel due to lack of space. If interested, please contact Tori Williams at twilliams@berksarl.org or 610-373-8830 x117. VOLUNTEER - There are many volunteering opportunities at the ARL! These include dog walking, cleaning kennels, clerical assistance, events, community outreach and more! Visit https://www. berksarl.org/how-to-help/volunteers/ to learn more. Ready to start volunteering? Contact Hope Poliansky at hpoliansky@ berksarl.org or 610-373-8830 x120. DONATE – “Because it’s physically impossible to house the several litters of kittens who come through our doors each day through the warmer months, now, more than ever, we need the support of the community to donate money to help us with our increased veterinary expenses, as well as to help feed and care for these animals.” – Jessica Prutzman, ARL Board President. ADOPT – This is ultimately how animal lives are saved – by finding loving, forever
homes with members of our community. If you are interested in a pet, please consider visiting the Animal Rescue League and adopting one of the animals who so desperately needs a home. Adopting from the Animal Rescue League also comes with several noteworthy benefits – such as vaccinations, microchip, spay/neutering, and a comprehensive welcome packet which now includes a free year’s membership to the Do It Local Mobile App. Featuring a new pet category to cover all the needs of a new pet owner, Do It Local offers exclusive deals and discounts to the best locally owned businesses in Berks
County while raising funds and awareness for charity partners like the ARL. With over 100 deals conveniently on your phone and new deals added weekly, members can enjoy great savings while joining the “Locals Helping Locals” movement! With so much of Berks County backing the ARL’s no-kill initiative, it is now up to us as a community to really come together and support this cause. Hundreds of animals are depending on us! Please visit berksarl.org and follow @berksARL on social media to stay up-to-date with the ARL’s latest events, live release numbers and immediate needs. Together, we save lives! rdgmag.com - Reading Magazine | 27
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