The Fairgrounds Farmers Market wasn’t exactly bustling Saturday morning, but a steady stream of hearty shoppers braved slick patches left by an overnight storm that coated Berks County with about a half-inch of snow and mixed precipitation.
Among the shoppers were former Berks families back in the area for the holidays and craving a taste of home.
Jennifer Jamula; her husband, Adam Armiger; and their 4-year-old daughter, Marlowe; traveled from New York to spend Christmas week with Jamula’s parents, Ted and Melissa of Cumru Township.
They were joined at the market in Muhlenberg Township by longtime friend Kelly Makowiecki, her husband and their three children, who were visiting from their temporary home in Beijing, China.
Jamula and Makowiecki met in school as children and have remained close since graduating from Reading High School in 2001.
The friends and their families spent the morning reminiscing as they wound their way through the market’s stalls.
“It took 17 hours of traveling to make it from Beijing to Reading,” Makowiecki said, explaining that her family relocated to China for her husband’s work.
The long hours spent on planes and in layovers were worth it, she said.
“It was worth getting here, seeing friends and family,” she said, adding with a laugh, “and getting to the soft pretzel stand.”
No visit to the market would be complete without a stop at Stoltzfus Homemade Soft Pretzels, the group agreed as they and their families munched on the doughy treats slathered in butter and sprinkled with salt.
The friends also shared a few New Year’s resolutions. Makowiecki said she plans to spend less time on her computer and cellphone and more time playing with her children.
Jamula said she is determined to take up playing the piano again, something she hasn’t done much since high school.
Joe and Tricia Flock of Slippery Rock but formerly from Berks County with their daughters Ruth, 18, and Theresa, 16, enjoy visiting the Fairgrounds Farmers Market, 2934 N. Fifth St. Highway in Muhlenberg Township on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Joe and Tricia Flock and their daughters, Ruth, 18, and Theresa, 16, made a much shorter trip than the Makowiecki family. They drove about five hours by car from Slippery Rock, Butler County, but the visit was no less of a homecoming for Joe Flock.
A 1982 Schuylkill Valley High School graduate, Flock worked at the market as a teenager. The family stopped by Saturday morning to stock up on local specialties they can’t find in west-central Pennsylvania.
“We love coming here,” Joe Flock said of the market. Gesturing toward his daughters, he added, “And you know, now these two, even though they’re not from here, they love coming here.”
Tricia Flock, who is from the Pittsburgh area, said she has spent so much time in Berks County that it feels like home to her as well. She, too, enjoys shopping at the market whenever they visit.
Their first stop Saturday was the Dutch Maid Bakery stand, where they enjoyed a breakfast of sweet pastries.
“We can’t go without our Dutch Maid,” Joe Flock said, laughing.
The Flocks said they planned to attend a family reunion and watch a Penn State football game later in the day.
Joe Flock, who works in the food science industry, also runs a farm with his family. His interest in agriculture and food began with his involvement in the Berks County 4-H program as a youth and his early work at the farmers market, he said.
Daughter Ruth is following in her father’s footsteps, raising and exhibiting animals through the Butler County 4-H. Her New Year’s resolution, she said, is to make improvements to the family’s farm and livestock.
“We have dairy goats,” she explained, “and I do showings, so I want to see what I can do better in improving their dairy characteristics.”
Dennis Damiani of Muhlenberg Township relates his New Year’s resolution at the Fairgrounds Farmers Market, 2934 N. Fifth St. Highway in Muhlenberg Township on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Neither Dennis Damiani, 72, nor his friend Michael Yednock, 30, had far to travel to reach the market. Both live in Muhlenberg Township and regularly browse the selections of produce, meats, seafood and more offered by the Fairgrounds’ more than 60 vendors.
The men skipped an array of tempting treats, opting for a healthy breakfast of acai berry bowls from Oola Bowls.
Damiani said he hasn’t made any formal New Year’s resolutions, but he certainly has plans. He and his wife, Sharon, recently welcomed a new granddaughter. They traveled to Texas to visit her in November and are already planning more trips.
Michael Yednock of Muhlenberg Township talks about his New Year’s resolution to become more involved with his faith at the Fairgrounds Farmers Market, 2934 N. Fifth St. Highway in Muhlenberg Township on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Yednock said his resolutions include spending more time with his parents, Ronald and Wendy Yednock, also of Muhlenberg Township, and regularly attending church services.
He also plans to eat healthier, he said, a goal that includes future trips to the market.