Friends & Family Day brings Reading together at Birch Meadow
(2-minute read)
Reading Lions Club volunteers serve up pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and drinks at Friends & Family Day. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
The Reading Lions Club hosted its annual Friends & Family Day at the Birch Meadow Field Complex on Saturday, June 20, 2026, drawing residents out for an afternoon of music, food, activities, and connection ahead of the evening’s fireworks.
It was a beautiful sunny day, if a windy one. More than a few tents made a break for it over the course of the afternoon, while others reinforced their setups or decided to brave the sun without cover.
Something for everyone
A young visitor takes the wheel of a DPW vehicle at the Birch Meadow Field Complex. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Live bands played throughout the afternoon as families made their way across the complex. Kids climbed into DPW and Reading Fire vehicles, raced RC cars around a track, worked their way through a mini golf course, and rode a train that looped around the Birch Meadow area. The Shriners brought their mini trucks, and Farm 2 Go Traveling Petting Farm set up a petting zoo where kids could meet baby ducks, chicks, bunnies, and goats.
The Reading Police Department and the Reading Coalition for Prevention & Support (RCPS) hosted tents with resources for residents, and the Reading Lions Club kept the crowd fed with pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and drinks.
More than 65 organizations
The day brought together a wide range of community organizations and local businesses looking to connect with residents. Among them were the Reading POP Huddle, the Reading Democratic Town Committee, the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce, and the Reading Municipal Light Department.
Several boards and committees also set up shop, including the Historical Commission, the Ad Hoc Commemoration Establishment (ACE) Committee, and the Conservation Commission. Candidates running for office were on hand alongside representatives from Yes for the Community Preservation Act.
Local businesses rounded out the field, with Royal Air Systems bringing their mascot, along with Presence & Co. , Supporting Single Parents International (SSPI), and Mathnasium.
Fireworks light up the sky over the Birch Meadow Field Complex, closing out Friends & Family Day. Photo by Tom Grant.
A fitting start to summer
The day concluded with fireworks over the Birch Meadow field complex, sending residents home with the unmistakable feeling that summer has officially arrived.
A thank you goes out to everyone who made the day possible: the Reading Lions Club for organizing, the town staff who helped pull it together, the organizations that turned out to connect with community members, the sponsors who contributed, the Scouts who helped organizations set up, and the residents who showed up and made it a day to remember.
