DID You Know??

Did the Berks County Courthouse
lights offer a weather forecast?
Source: Darrin Youker, Reading Eagle
Back in the days before AccuWeather and The Weather Channel, Reading had a rather unique way of letting people know the forecast. At night, red and blue lights on the top and sides of the Berks County Courthouse would change if the weather was going to be clear or cloudy, fair or stormy. Much like the Pagoda's lights used to announce baseball scores, the courthouse lights were a mass communications tool in the days before televisions were in every home. It all made sense, considering that the National Weather Service put a station on the 18th floor when the courthouse opened in 1932. A generation of Reading natives grew up with the courthouse lights acting as their weather gauge.

Here was the weather code:

Continued fair weather: All blue
Continued storms: All red
Stormy to fair: Top red, corner lights blue
Clear to stormy: Top blue, corner lights red

For decades, the security staff at the courthouse was responsible for getting the next day's forecast and adjusting the lights accordingly, said James Moorman, facilities director. But in the 1990's, it was getting tougher to find the right light bulbs, and some of the wires were no longer working. A decision was made to stop using the courthouse as a weather beacon. The red and blue lights were removed in 1995. But that doesn't mean the courthouse is now dark at night. Much like the Pagoda's steady glow, the courthouse shines with a yellowish hue and remains a prominent part of the Reading skyline.

Not everyone realizes, however, that the tower in the center of Reading no longer forecasts weather. That news even caught a few seasoned Reading Eagle staffers off-guard. The weather lights were removed during a major renovation, Moorman said, adding that Berks County officials didn't make a major announcement about the change. Perhaps that's why it escaped many people's attention. Said Moorman, "I don't think we said a thing about it."

Timeline Photos
Do you have an Event you want to post on our website - Please do
http://www.downtownreading.com/community-events-full/

DID You Know?
Reading Downtown Improvement District Authority's Environmental Services:

* Landscaping
* Weeding / Mulching
* Pressure Washing
* Graffiti Removal
* Handbill Removal
* Snow Removal & Salting from crosswalks

35,004 (44 Gallon Bags) bags of trash were removed
3,989 (44 Gallon Bags) bags of leaves were removed

Timeline Photos
Easter Illustration from an old children's book in our archives.

Easter Comes
The Spring comes, the snow is gone,
The meadows are turning green,
The Lark sings, here and there
One sees flowers blooming.
Soon comes the Easterfest,
Where for us in green grass,
Many colorful eggs lie in the nest of
The Little Easter Rabbit.
#tbt