MidDay Café and Concert Series – a noon-time lunch outing that moves to various locations throughout the District, providing food and entertainment for employees, visitors, and locals. www.downtownreading.com/midday

“DID You Know” Advertising Campaign – monthly or bi-monthly advertisements in the Reading Eagle highlighting events, businesses, historical trivia and other little know facts about DID and downtown Reading. www.readingeagle.com

“This Month In Downtown Reading” Newsletter – started in March 2005, the flyer replaced the bi-monthly newsletter not published since 2002. The monthly calendar of events includes music, art, dining, shopping, and other activities as well as downtown trivia.

Reading Holiday Parade – an annual event that brings together the entire community to celebrate the holidays with marching bands, colorful floats, and Santa; many volunteers for the parade are business or property owners of Downtown businesses.

Heart of Berks County Map – a partnership between the DID and Berks County Living Magazine has created the “Heart of Berks County Map”; large poster-size versions of the map are hung in the Sovereign Center, the Sovereign Performing Arts Center, the Reading Wyndham Hotel, City Hall, the BARTA bus shelters, the County Courthouse, Reading Parking Authority Parking Garages, and various businesses throughout the District. An update of this map will occur in the near future. (link to map)

Downtown Live – broadcasts the second Thursday of every month at 6:30 PM; interviews with restaurant owners and chefs and other business owners within the Downtown Improvement District along with upcoming events are all part of this lively celebration of Reading’s downtown; produced by volunteer Barbara Tarczynski. 
www.BCTV.org

Downtown Reading Web site – the Reading DID web site has everything you need to know about Reading before you visit - events, parking information, history, directions, listings of restaurants and retail stores, and links to other web sites that might be helpful with your visit to Downtown Reading.

Marketing and Promotion – Reading DID will be partnering with local organizations to develop a comprehensive marketing effort; Reading DID will maintain an inventory of the downtown including the availability of retail, office and residential space; cooperative advertising and special events will be developed to attract more people to visit; and an economic stimulus package will be created to recruit and retain small businesses downtown.

Downtown Walking Tours – several walking tours will be developed to get people acquainted with downtown Reading as the cultural center of Berks County; with almost 20 pieces of public including murals, sculptures and stained glass, a new art gallery on Penn Street, several downtown artist’s studios and the proposed Goggle Works art center art lovers from near and far will be attracted downtown; following expansion if June 2005, Reading DID will incorporate parts of three historic districts and the requisite walking tours.

Safety Programs –the Reading DID will partner with area organizations and schools to present programs that give information on how to keep yourself safe and how to keep your car safe when parked in a garage or lot.