27-04-2025
Earth Day celebration in full bloom at City Park in Reading
Midday was way past bedtime for Zeus, but he couldn't resist an afternoon snack.
Zeus, a hoary bat, rose from his nocturnal slumber to enjoy a few daytime mealworms and the adoration of a small crowd at City Park in Reading Saturday afternoon.
Steph Stronsick from the Pennsylvania Bat Conservation and Rehabilitation Center in Rockland Township holds Zeus, a hoary bat, during a program on bats during Earth Day activities in Reading City Park on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Visiting Zeus and other bats was the reason Rosie Sparrow made the trip to the annual Berks County Earth Day celebration.
'He's so cute!,' Sparrow, 9, of West Lawn said of Zeus.
Rosie Sparrow, 9, of Bernville photographs Zeus, a hoary bat, during Earth Day activities in Reading City Park on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Zeus was found several years ago in York Township, according to the bat's handler, Steph Stronsik of Pennsylvania Bat Conservation and Rehabilitation, Rockland Township.
Hoary bats, which are native to Pennsylvania, have had their population devastated by wind turbines, Stronsik said.
Other issues facing the area's bats include deforestation and white nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease, she said.
Elsewhere in the park, what appeared to be a small flock of white geese bobbed atop the heads of a group of friends.
Beverly Leviner of Bern Township said she found the geese hats and wanted to wear them to show support for snow geese. The birds' populations have been affected by a resurgence in avian flu.
She said she often visits the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County. The site is visited by as many as 100,000 snow geese during their annual migration in late winter.
'It would be nice to have people go see them and take an interest,' Leviner said.
Beverly Leviner of Bern Township wears a snow goose hat to call attention to the avian flu and its effects on the geese during Earth Day activities in Reading City Park on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Leviner's geese weren't the only accessories with flair at the park — between the booths, a pair of dancers donned winglike scarves, dipping and twirling in synch.
Dancer Autumn Crane said her group, JCWK Dance Labs, uses interpretive dance to work through complex and often painful emotions.
The group recently was at Alvernia University for a performance and discussion on the aftermath of gun violence.
Crane, a physical therapist, said she uses dance to help victims of diseases like Parkinson's and conditions that cause dementia. The art form can assist them in working through their symptoms.
'I'm teaching them to 'burst' dopamine through fun fitness,' Crane said.
She said she's working with local nonprofit groups to have disability-accessible paths for walking meditation exercises, possibly at City Park and other local recreation areas.
Curious eventgoers swung by dozens of booths where local companies and nonprofits shared Earth Day exhibits and introduced themselves to community members.
One booth sported bags of sticks, boughs and other carefully chosen plant material, which kids were using to make crafts.
The plants in the bags were all native to the area, with the goal of the activity being to introduce people to the benefits of local flora, according to Jenny Wright, who was working the booth for the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society.
Wright warned of the threats invasive, non-native plants can pose to local ecosystems.
'Some (invasive plants) are very popular; people still plant them,' Wright said.
She said invasive plants like Norway maple, English ivy and Japanese wisteria can grow and reproduce quickly and may not be as susceptible to local pests and diseases, making it easy for them to outcompete the native species that the ecosystem relies on.
Wright was also handing out native plant seeds and providing lists of native plant nurseries.
Jenny Wright of Barto, a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist, talks about native plants during Earth Day activities in Reading City Park on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
The event featured a citywide cleanup in the morning, followed by a ceremonial tree planting along with performances by local bands throughout the day.
