History Center to present local historical program

The holiday celebration continues on at historic Ridgewood Winery on Jan. 9 from 3 to 6 p.m. Celebrate the conclusion of the Yuletide season and begin the new year at our “Twelfth Night Revelries” featuring food and libations, festivities, dance and a “Wassailing toast” for good health.

House and hall are be- decked in green finery and holly, and the Amity Colonial Dancers are ready to dance and include all of you in their festive dances. Delicious house wines are there to sample and purchase, and various holiday treats are on the menu.

Twelfth Night is an ancient celebration steeped in the mists of time. Thought to originate in early Anglo- Saxon traditions, it evolved to mark the conclusion of the 12 days of Christmas. It is a great time of merrymaking, song and dance. Celebrate with us as it was done in “the olden times” and still in England, the Alps, Germany and even America, as we commemorate this early and joyful tradition.

The Amity Colonial Dancers will perform at 3:30 and 5 p.m. Visitors are included and encour- aged to participate in the dancing, and there will be a community “Wassailing” or toast to good health and a bountiful grape harvest.

This free program is open to the public. For information, contact Tracy Smith of Ridgewood Winery by e-mailing events@ ridgewoodwinery.com or calling 484-509-0200.

Ridgewood Winery is located at 2039 Philadelphia Avenue, in Birdsboro.

The Berks History Center will present a program and book signing, Wyomissing Industries: A Historical Perspective, on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 10 a.m. This program will be held at The Highlands at Wyomissing, 2000 Cambridge Avenue, Wyomissing.

Historian Mark Vaught will share original vintage materials and provide an introduction to Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen, prominent businessmen and founders of Berkshire Knitting Mills, Textile Machine Works and the Narrow Fabric Company.

There will be refreshments at 9:30 a.m. There is a charge.

For more information about the Berks History Center and its events, call 610-375-4375 or visit www. berkshistory.org.