Reading Rotary Club wants to fill the city with flowers for its 275th anniversary

Oct. 8—The Rotary Club of Reading wants to fill the city with bright and cheery daffodils in celebration of Reading's 275th anniversary.

The service club is selling bulbs to be planted before the end of November so they will bloom in time for the anniversary festivities in spring.

The club's order of 40,000 high-quality bulbs, grown in the Netherlands, has been shipped and is expected to arrive within two weeks, said Heidi Odemer, club secretary.

All proceeds from the sale will go toward revitalizing Mineral Spring Park.

"We want people to enjoy their (the daffodils') beauty," she said, "but also to know that their investment in the bulbs will go even further, benefitting the community twice."

Although the city earmarked grant money for some of its parks, Odemer of Reading said, the club learned Mineral Spring is not on the list.

The city prefers to direct the funds toward those parks that are most heavily used, Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz said.

Mineral Spring, located between Pendora and Engelman parks, is used more for passive recreation than play, so it was not targeted for funding, she said.

The three contiguous parks lie within Council District 2, which Goodman-Hinnershitz represents.

"I think it is great," she said of the Rotary's effort. "It fits very well with a realistic plan for the park."

The funds raised by the bulb sale can be directed toward projects that will piggyback on the woodland and trail maintenance work already being done in the park by Berks Nature, she said. While some of the remaining small picnic pavilions could be restored or rebuilt, the councilwoman said, the goal is to transform the neglected park into more of a walking park and nature preserve.

Mineral Spring is a natural choice for the club, which held two cleanups in the park this year.

The local Rotary's history is connected to the park, said Councilman O. Christopher Miller, a member of the club. Prominent city businessmen held a meeting there in the Mineral Spring Hotel to establish the Reading Rotary in 1913, he said.

The city-owned building at the northern end of South 19th Street was long leased to the East End Athletic Club but has been vacant since the club was evicted under former Mayor Wally Scott's administration in 2017.

"I think by having a partner like the Rotary involved, the city can better bring the park to the public's attention," Goodman-Hinnershitz said, "and then also come up with a plan on what will happen to the hotel."

The councilwoman said she also likes the idea of celebrating the city's anniversary with thousands of the yellow flowers.

"By the way," she said, "I asked about the daffodils, they are supposed to be deer resistant."

The bulbs must be ordered and planted before the winter freeze,

A bag of a dozen bulbs costs $15 and can be ordered on the club's website.

Volunteers will be available to assist with planting, if needed.

For more information, visit readingrotary.org.