President’s Message:
I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the beautiful Fall colors. Get outside and feel the beautiful crisp air all around you. Eat an apple, have some apple cider, carve a pumpkin, rake the leaves, take a walk; simply, indulge in the beauty surrounding us.
Things are different; Autumn brings change. And we now have to do some things in a different way; we as a Guild are having some changes in the way we have to do things for the present. While we can’t wait to be together again in person, our monthly general zoom meetings the last couple of months are a way to bring us together. If you haven’t tried to join us through Zoom, think about it and give it a try. We will be glad to see you.
Your Reading-Berks Guild board of directors and Show committee have put on their thinking caps and have come up with some ways to keep The Reading-Berks Guild craftsmen busy. So keep reading this entire newsletter to see where the action is now and in the near future.
Our first little Pop-Up show in the White Room at Renninger’s Farmers’ Market is scheduled for First Saturday, December 5, 2020 from 9 to 3. Mask wearing and social distancing are required. Application is on our website at rbcrafts.org. Spaces are limited in the White Room. Santa needs your help! Hopefully, we can continue First Saturdays in the White Room in February, March, and April in 2021.
BCTV is running our banner that states “Support American Crafts by shopping local for the holidays-Reading Berks Guild of Craftsmen”-rbcrafts.org. This started October 2 and will run through the end of 2020. Sandra sent a reminder out to our customer mailing list to get in touch with our craftsmen through our directory on our website.
Read the article in this newsletter by Louise and see what is happening and can happen on Facebook. And Steve, our Show Chairperson is going to tell you about a Mega Pop-up he has set up for May 1; so don’t stop reading this newsletter.
And things are happening at the State Guild as well. Zoom has helped bring us together. Right now, there are 12 chapters in the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. Starting in November a different chapter will be featured each month in the State’s newsletter. And there is much more to come. There is a common goal – “We are all in this together”.
Still time to sign up for our Christmas Social at the Yellow House Hotel which is on December 1; go to rbcrafts.org.
Stay safe and well.
“You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.” Harry Truman
Your President, Barry L. Bennecoff
Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen Election of Officers:
If there are any floor nominations for the November 3rd election for President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary or Newsletter editor, they will have to be submitted via zoom at the November zoom meeting and seconded at the same meeting. If nominating a person, they must agree to run either at the November 3rd meeting or by letting the Nominating Committee know in advance of the meeting (Bill Scheirer at 610-334-9642 or Matt Vardjan at 610-655-5541). A person may self nominate at the November meeting, but it must also be seconded at the meeting.
Voting will take place immediately after nominations are closed. Please attend the November zoom meeting to have your vote counted.
The current Nominations are as follows:
President: Barry Bennecoff
Vice President: Cleon Garl, Sr.
Recording Secretary: Kay Bennecoff
Treasurer: Carol Haile and Jody Bryza-Stevenson as Co-chairs
Newsletter Editor: Sandra Jones
Nominating Committee: Matthew P. Vardjan / Bill Scheirer
Facebook Opportunity and Standards
The Reading-Berks Guild Market is now live as a Facebook Group! Some of our members have been listing their crafts for sale, with more to come. We are just beginning, so check back often. To go to our Market, sign into Facebook and search for Reading-Berks Guild Market, or click on groups (the little icon at the top of the page that looks like a group of people) and find us. We will be adding a link from our website too. To purchase, you must be a member of the group. Many of you will be getting invitations, or you can send a request to join. If you would like to participate in selling, contact Louise at eglassplace@gmail.com.
Our next jury session will be Tues, March 9. You must have been a member of our chapter for a minimum of 3 months. More information and the application is on our website under standards, or contact Louise Mehaffey at eglassplace@gmail.com.
Standards Chair, Louise Mehaffey
Shows
I am glad to be to tell you that we have made arrangements with Renninger’s for an outdoor Mega Pop-up on the first Saturday in May. This will be a great shopping event for mother’s day gifts. I will be sharing more information about booth costs and sizes in next month’s newsletter and we will be placing the application on the website in the info for exhibitors page under Festivals on rbcrafts.org, as soon as it is available.
Sign up for our December Pop-up show at Renninger’s Farmer’s Market using the below link.
Show Chair, Steve Hunter
Pop-Up Shows at Renninger’s Farmers’ Market:
Santa’s Secret Shoppe: Saturday, December 5, 2020 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Social distancing and mask wearing are required. We are hoping to do more Pop-up shows “First Saturday’s” in February, March, and April 2021. This is a small show and Pop-Up shows are casual. Information is on the application. (Application is on our website at rbcrafts.org.)
Any questions about Santa’s Secret Shoppe, call 610-374-7048.
Programs:
Since November is our election of officers no program will be held.
Our Holiday Social is at Yellow House Hotel. Details, including prices, and sign-up sheet are on the Holiday Social Page . The cash bar opens at 6:00 PM, the meal will be served promptly at 6:30. Butch Imhoff will be entertaining us after dessert with his holiday songs and good humor! I hope to see all of our members at the Social.
See you on the Zoom meeting!
Programs Chair, Matt Vardjan
SIGN-UP for the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen’s Zoom meetings,
by e-mailing info@rbcrafts.org
To insure that the meeting isn’t attended by pranksters, you must sign-up to attend the meeting. Meeting invitations will be sent by e-mail on Monday, October 5th. If you received an invitation last month, you do not need to resign-up.
Media:
If you missed “Your Berks Craftsmen” in October, please go to our website at rbcrafts.org or YouTube and watch Carol Haile read her newest book, “Raymond-The Flying Seeing Eye”. This is Carol’s eighth book and she talks about how this book came to fruition from an inspiring couple who talked Carol into this undertaking; an undertaking where Carol’s imagination just “took off”!
On November 18, “Your Berks Craftsmen” will feature another juried member of our guild, Martha Ressler. Martha transitioned from painting to art quilts. She will be “live in the studio” that night and will have many of her art quilts with her and share fascinating stories that go with the quilts. It will be a program that you will not want to miss. So tune in on November 18 at 7:00 PM, Comcast, channel 15. If you don’t have Comcast, please go to bctv.org and watch on your computer. All “Your Berks Craftsmen” shows can be be viewed on our website at rbcrafts.org a few days after the original airing time.
I also want to thank everyone from our Guild who supported BCTV’s Octoberfest this year with a donation or bidding on the online auction. BCTV appreciates everything we do for them and we appreciate what they do for us.
THANK-YOU! Your BCTV Host, Kay Bennecoff
Events:
General Meetings: (1st Tuesday of Month)
November 3: Zoom meeting: 7:00 PM
December 1st: Holiday Party at Yellow House, 6:00 PM
Shows:
Pop-up show: First Saturday, December 5th 9-3 at Renninger’s Farmers’ Market
Mega Pop-up: First Saturday, May 1 Renninger’s Farmers’ Market
If you would like something added to our Newsletter, please contact Sandra Jones at info@rbcrafts.org