August 2019

President’s Message:

Our Reading-Berks Guild started off the summer with a great picnic at the Vardjan’s and we are going to say so long to summer with our August 6th meeting at the Goggleworks in the Belly Cafe at 7:00 PM.  We will not have a program but there will be a business meeting.  We are going to discuss some new things that we are working on for our Guild so you will not want to miss this meeting.  Don’t forget to get your Holiday show application in.   This is a big year for the Reading-Berks Guild. It was a big year for the Kutztown Folk Festival celebrating 70 years and this year is our 70th annual Holiday Fine Art and Craft Festival.    I believe this will be our 11th Holiday Festival at Kutztown University and what a wonderful venue for us it is!

“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion.  You must first set yourself on fire.”  Fred Shero

Your President,  Barry L. Bennecoff

Shows:

Hello to all,

Judy and I hope you all are having a good summer.

The Holiday Show Committee is finalizing all of the advertising for this year’s 70th Holiday Show at KU.  There are a lot of things that we have planned for this 70th anniversary year.  Can you believe it has been 70 years?

I’m working on the floor plan as we speak and trying to wrap things up by Oct. 1st.   After Sept 1st, there will be a $20.00 late fee.  I truly suggest that you get your application in soon to save your booth from last year and save $20.00.

Speaking of 70th year, Judy and I were born 69 years ago. We were meant for each other, in a good way.  Next May, we will turn 70 years old.  We have been telling the Committee we will not continuing being the Show Chairs after we turn 70.   So this job will be ending for us. We are moving to South Carolina on Sept. 30th.  We are looking for new people to pick up the job at hand and to continue the  show for another 70 years.

It’s been a great ride for us doing the show for 16 years.

Thanks to all,

Your Show Chairs,  Judy and Terry Boyer

Media:

“Your Berks Craftsmen” celebrated Christmas in July with Carol and Ron Wardell and their fabulous feather trees.  August will feature Marilyn Pounder.  Marilyn makes beautiful jewelry out of polymer clay and she will be demonstrating her craft for us.

BCTV is gearing up for Octoberfest.  Octoberfest is a big fundraiser for BCTV and our Reading-Berks Guild always comes through with great donations for this event.  Please bring your donations to our general meeting and I will be happy to take them into the studio or you can drop off your donation at the BCTV studio.  BCTV is such a great supporter of our Guild in so many ways.  Let’s help them this year to have their best Octoberfest ever.  Let’s show everyone how much we love BCTV!.  Thanks,

Your BCTV host,  Kay Bennecoff

Programs:

This month (August) there is no program scheduled. Join your fellow Guild members at the Belly – Kitchen & Drinkery on the first floor of the GoggleWorks for a social before the business meeting. Food and drink can be purchased at Belly.  Our program/meeting starts at 7:00 PM, but feel free to come a little earlier, Belly stops serving at 8:00 PM.

Feed-back on this change in program/meeting will be welcomed.

Programs  Chair, Matt Vardjan

Standards:

Our next jury session will be Tuesday, September 10th.

Standards  Chair, Louise Mehaffey

Early American Life:

Congratulations to our members:  Tammy Zettlemoyer, Denise Wilz, Janice Sonnen, Gary Rosborough, Barry Bennecoff, Lisa Teller Short, and Robert and Kay Shaeff,  who made In the Directory of Early American Crafts in Early American Life’s August 2019 issue, the best traditional craftworkers in America, from boxmakers to blacksmiths, from potters to weavers, and all in between.

Editor, Sandra Jones

Events:

General Meetings: (1st Tuesday of Month)
August 6th:          7 PM GoggleWorks in Belly on
the first floor
September 3rd:   7 PM GoggleWorks
October 1st:        7 PM GoggleWorks

Shows:
Holiday Festival:  November 2nd and 3rd, KU Field house