For information on submitting an obituary, please contact Reading Eagle by phone at 610-371-5018, or email at obituaries@readingeagle.com or fax at 610-371-5193.
Most obituaries published in the Reading Eagle are submitted through funeral homes and cremation services, but we will accept submissions from families. Obituaries can be emailed to obituaries@readingeagle.com.
In addition to the text of the obituary, any photographs that you wish to include can be attached to this email. Please put the text of the obituary in a Word document, a Google document or in the body of the email. The Reading Eagle also requires a way to verify the death, so please include either the phone number of the funeral home or cremation service that is in charge of the deceased’s care or a photo of his/her death certificate. We also request that your full name, phone number and address are all included in this email.
All payments by families must be made with a credit card. We will send a proof of the completed obituary before we require payment. The obituary cannot run, however, until we receive payment in full.
Obituaries can be submitted for any future date, but they must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. the day prior to its running for it to be published.
Please call the obituary desk, at 610-371-5018, for information on pricing.
Barrio Alegria, known for its community engagement and free arts programming, is hosting its annual My Mother’s Refrigerator holiday market in downtown Reading on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m at the WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St.
The market will feature more than a dozen artists, many of whom are based in Reading. The artists include entrepreneurs in painting, poetry, crochet, treats and vintage collections. There will be performances by local talent. An aspect of this market that separates it from others is that vendors are not paying Barrio to sell their wares, meaning they keep 100% of their profits.
Admission is free, as is on-street parking starting at 6. For more information, visit Barrio Alegria’s Facebook and Instagram pages or email info@barrioalegria.org.
Farmers market
The Antietam Valley Farmers Market is holding a holiday market Monday, Dec. 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. indoors at Carsonia Park in Pennside. Learn more at antietamvalley.org/.
Reading roundtable
The Green Building Alliance will hold a Resilient Reading Roundtable on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., on how smart design choices can lower operating costs, revitalize existing properties and create healthier, more resilient neighborhoods. It includes a tour of the newly renovated Pendora Park Fieldhouse.
The program will be led by Jim Sarro of Muhlenberg Greene Architects. He will share practical approaches for “greening” buildings – from adaptive reuse and energy efficiency to durable materials and funding incentives – helping to turn derelict properties into long-term assets.
Admission is free, and a complimentary lunch will be served. Register at www.gba.org/events.
Celtic concert
The Reading Choral Society Chamber Singers will be joined by Celtic group New Winter for a concert featuring bagpipes and vocal harmonies on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. at Pennside Presbyterian Church, 253 N. 25th St. Admission is free. The musicians will weave the music of the winter solstice, Christmas, and Hogmanay (the Scottish New Year). Learn more at www.readingchoral.org.
Home heating help
The League of Women Voters of Berks County’s December program on Berks Community Television will focus on keeping people safe in winter through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Or LIHEAP. The program airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. through Dec. 30. LIHEAP provides cash grants to help families pay heating bills. Guests are Bethany Ayers Fisher, Reading sustainability manager; and Larry Berringer and Mike Drumheller of Berks Community Action Program.
Watch the program on BCTV or streaming via BCTV.org or the channel’s YouTube page.
Geneaology open house
Berks County Genealogical Society is holding an Open House, Saturday Dec. 20, from noon till 3 p.m. at the society library on the fourth floor of the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, 201 Washington St., Reading. Santa will be there for the little ones, and those in attendance will get guidance on how to start a family tree. Everyone is welcome.
Menorah lighting
The city of Reading will host a menorah lighting ceremony at Fifth and Penn streets on Dec. 16 at 5:15 p.m. to mark the third night of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. The ceremony is being presented in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks,
The public is welcome at the event, and it will be streamed on the City of Reading, PA – Government Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cityreadingpa/), on BCTV.org and on the BCTV MAC Channel 99 on Comcast.
Cloister tours
Lantern Tours, a theatrical event led by student historians, will be held on two weekends this winter at Ephrata Cloister. Dates are Dec. 26 and 27 and Jan. 2 and 3. Tours depart every half hour from 6 to 8 p.m. Each tour lasts approximately 45–60 minutes, and group sizes are limited to 25 participants.
This year’s performance, “1777: When War Came to Ephrata,” will explore the winter when Ephrata’s peaceful community was transformed into a military hospital during the Revolutionary War.
Advance tickets are required. Use this link to purchase tickets online: www.storepatrailsofhistory.com/2/#/Admission. For more information, go to ephratacloister.org.
Submit items to news@readingeagle.com.