West Reading French Fry Fest

September 11, 2026 · 8:00 AM · Kutztown University — Alumni Plaza, 15219 Kutztown Rd.

Kutztown University marks the anniversary of September 11, 2001, with a morning of flags and reflection at Alumni Plaza, the fountain courtyard at the center of campus. Flags are set out in remembrance of those lost at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and the plaza stays open through the morning for anyone who wants to walk through quietly. The morning follows the timeline of the day itself. Moments of silence are observed at 8:46, 9:03, 9:37 and 10:03 a.m., guest speakers address those gathered at 10:15 a.m., and the Kutztown Pipe Band and a First Responder Tribute follow at 11 a.m. Carnations are part of the pipe band tribute. Additional 9/11 memorial displays are set up at Old Main, at the Alumni Remembrance Tree, and in the McFarland Student Union, so visitors can continue on foot after the plaza program. Borough residents, students, veterans, and local first responders all gather for this one, and it suits anyone looking for a quiet way to observe the date close to home.

Hosted by Kutztown Borough

September 11–12, 2026 · William DeLong Memorial Park, Bowers · $4 admission

The Chile Pepper Food Festival in tiny Bowers is one of Berks County's strangest and most beloved traditions: two days each September when a village of a few hundred people becomes Pennsylvania's capital of heat. The 2026 festival is the 30th annual. Vendors from across the region pack William DeLong Memorial Park with hot sauces, salsas, pepper-infused everything, and pepper plants by the thousands, most of it available to sample before you buy. The centerpiece is the jalapeno eating contest, scored by the weight of peppers eaten in thirty seconds, with cash prizes for the bravest stomachs. Admission is $4, parking is in a farm field, and the crowd is a mix of serious chiliheads chasing rare varieties and families who came for the food and stayed to watch someone regret the eating contest. It sells out nothing and hurries nowhere - that's the charm.

September 11–13, 2026 · Historic Joanna Furnace, Geigertown · Ticketed

The Hay Creek Festival is three days of living history at Historic Joanna Furnace, the 18th-century ironmaking community in southern Berks County that the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association has spent decades restoring. It's the association's flagship event and one of the region's best windows into how an iron plantation actually worked. Joanna Furnace made iron from 1791 into the Industrial Revolution, and during the festival the 26-acre site runs the way it once did: blacksmiths shaping iron in the smithy, the casting house explaining the furnace's ten-plate stoves, woodworkers cutting timber on a pit saw, plus a laundress, weaver, potter, tinsmith, gunsmith, and open-fire cooks working through the day. Threshing demonstrations, a working sawmill, and military encampments round out the grounds, alongside a contemporary craft market and festival food. It's ticketed, family-friendly, and paced for wandering - the kind of festival where kids watch a broom get made and adults leave knowing what a furnace moulder did. Proceeds fund the ongoing restoration of the furnace complex.

Fri, Sep 11 to Sat, Sep 12 · Town Center Parking Lot, 57 Boyer Street, Boyertown · Free

A German-themed street festival in downtown Boyertown with beer, German food, live music and dancing, and vendors.

September 11, 2026 · 5:30 PM · Yocum Institute for Arts Education, 3000 Penn Avenue, West Lawn · For teens and adults with developmental delays and their families

Yocum Institute for Arts Education hosts a relaxed karaoke social built for teens and adults with developmental delays, along with the families and friends who come out with them. The evening is about singing and spending time together, so participants pick the songs they want from a wide range of choices and take the microphone at their own pace. Singers can perform with a standard karaoke track, or, when the facilitator knows the song, with live accompaniment instead. That flexibility means a familiar favorite can sound a little different each time, and there is room for everything from a solo turn to a group sing along. The West Lawn arts center offers classes and performances in music, theater, dance, and visual arts for all ages, and its Penn Avenue building is fully ADA accessible with on site parking. Come ready to cheer for your neighbors as much as to sing.

September 11, 2026 · 6:00 PM · Gring’s Mill Recreation Area, 2083 Tulpehocken Road, Reading · Free, registration required

Red Creek Wildlife Center brings a look at Pennsylvania's native wild animals to Gring's Mill Recreation Area. The presentation features live animal ambassadors, giving visitors a close view of creatures that share the woods, fields, and waterways of our region while learning about the work of caring for injured and orphaned wildlife. Red Creek is a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center in Schuylkill County that treats native species and returns them to the wild. The animal ambassadors who travel to programs like this one are permanent residents, and they help staff explain how each species lives, what it eats, and how people can share space with wildlife responsibly. The setting along the Tulpehocken makes for an easy evening out, and the program suits curious kids and adults alike. Admission is free, but registration is required through Berks County Parks and Recreation.