February 2023 Newsletter

President’s Message:

And we’re off to a running start in 2023.  Your Board is busy working on some new ideas for your Reading-Berks Guild and your Show Committee is working and planning your two shows for this year.  Our Spring show is happening on May 6 and we believe that the third year will be the charm for some great weather.  Your Social Media committee (Publicity) is reporting lots of hits on Reading-Berks Guild Facebook page and Instagram.  They are working hard on getting the word out about us; so please get pictures to them at images@rbcrafts.org.  The people who “like” us will have something to “share” with their friends, and then their friends “share” and “like” and soon Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen will be everywhere.  But the important thing is “You” and you need to “share” those photos with us.

Reminder:  Don’t forget to renew your membership; if you let it expire, you must be required.

”What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork”. Pearl Bailey

Your President,  Barry L. Bennecoff

Programs:

Our program in February will feature Richard Polityka. He will be speaking on the history of Penn Street in Reading.

Richard is a long time volunteer for the Berks History Center, currently a trustee who’s term is expiring this year.  He works full time at Reading Bearing & Drive Solutions, formerly Reading Electric since 1995. He has been a contributor to the Historical Review of Berks County, led the effort for the exhibit of Berks and the Great War in 2017-2018, and has done programs of Penn St, City Park, Berks in the Great War, History of the YMCA, and Penn St at Christmas.

Programs Chair,  Matt Vardjan

Please note if there is a cancellation due to weather, a notice will be placed on the website by 3:00 PM

Shows:

May 6th is our Craft Show in the Pavilion at Renninger’s Farmers’ Market:  740 Noble Street, Kutztown PA 19530.  It is an outdoor covered pavilion with easy load in/load out.    It is also a great way to start your selling season!

Social Media:

We have posted our Spring Craft Show Event on our Facebook page. Please help us to promote the event by going to the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen Facebook page and sharing the Spring Craft Show Event to your page. If you’re planning on visiting or participating in the Event, you can select Going from the event page which will give you the option to invite your Facebook friends. This would really help us to get the word out.

We’re alway looking for new photos to promote our Guild members. If you have something new you would like to share, please send photos and captions so we can share it on our Facebook page or for possible use in our promotional material. We would love to have more images of you working on your craft, so don’t forget to include yourself in a photo, that’s always a plus. Send photos and captions to images@rbcrafts.org

Social Media Chair,  Lisa Short

Media:

On February 15, 2023 at 7:00 PM tune into “Your Berks Craftsmen” on Channel 15 on Comcast to see Diane Phalen, Juried member of Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen.  Diane is a fine artist and we are not only going to talk to her and learn about her work, but also she is going to give us a lesson in drawing and painting with watercolors.  So have your paper, pencil, brush and watercolors ready or if you just want to cuddle up with a quilt and watch, that is okay too.  If you don’t have Comcast, you can watch by going to BCTV.org.  You can also see “Your Berks Craftsmen” by going to our website, rbcrafts.org and in a day or two you will find it on Youtube.  Thanks for watching!

Standards:

The next jury session will be held on Tuesday, March 7 at the Goggleworks, before our general meeting. You must have been a member of the chapter for a minimum of 3 months. The room will be open at 5:30 and jurying will begin at 6:00. Check the board when you arrive for the room number. The application and more information are on our website at https://rbcrafts.org/our-guild/standards/ , which will be updated shortly to reflect this change. For any questions, contact Louise Mehaffey, eglassplace@gmail.com

Standards Chair,  Louise Mehaffey

Mini-Grants:

A New Year brings us more opportunities to fine-tune our craft or investigate a new one.

Four Mini-Grants, each in the amount of $50, will be awarded in April.  See application for details.

Education Chair,  Carol Haile

Membership:

January 2023 Newsletter Membership Report
From the State web site, we are showing a total of 151 members for our Reading-Berks Guild chapter.
You can see the status of your membership on the State Web site here: https://pacrafts.org/members/
Question:  How do I find out when my Guild membership is up and I am due for a renewal?
Answer:

1.  Log into the PACrafts.org website using your ID and password here: https://pacrafts.org/member-login/

Note:  To login, you must know either your Username or the email address that you are registered under.   If you have forgotten your password (or do not have one), you can request a password reset link.
2. Scroll down to the heading called Office Use Only and look for Renewal Date(Date of Last Renewal) and you will see when you are up for renewal.

If you are new to the Guild and have not contacted me regarding obtaining a new badge, please let me know so that I can get you on the new list and place an order.  I have four folks pending and need another one or two to complete an order.

I will be at the February meeting at the Goggleworks if there are questions

Thanks Much,

Membership Chair,  Gary Rosborough

Events:

General Meetings: (1st Tuesday of Month):

February meeting:  February 7, 2023, 7 PM at the Google Works,  check the board for location.

March meeting:  March 7, 2023, 7 PM at the Google Works,  check the board for location.

April meeting: April 4, 2023, 7 PM at the Google Works,  check the board for location.

Please note if there is a cancellation due to weather, a notice will be placed on the website by 3:00 PM of the day of the event.

Shows:

Spring Show:  Saturday, May 6, 2023  for details and application, please go to the Spring Show Page on the website.

Newsletter:

 Hoping for early Spring!

If you would like to put something in the Newsletter, please contact me at info@rbcrafts.org

  Sandra Jones