Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles to open Fegely’s Diner for Fastnacht Day

The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles will once again host Fastnacht Day in the famous Fegely’s Reading Diner on Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“This is an annual event held each year on Shrove Tuesday. The event was on hiatus during the pandemic, but it returned last year in full force,” Michaela Zaborowski, community engagement coordinator at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, said in a statement. “Last year’s event (the first since the pandemic) was the most successful and well-attended to date.”

On Shrove Tuesday, patrons can enjoy coffee and homemade fastnachts while sitting inside the preserved Fegely’s Reading Diner on display inside the Museum. Purchase a fastnacht for 25 cents and a cup of coffee for 5 cents.

Fastnachts are traditionally made by kitchens in southeastern Pennsylvania just once a year before the start of Lent. This custom began in the 17th and 18th centuries when German immigrants started to settle in the region, bringing the practice of abstaining from the consumption of sugary and fatty foods during the Lenten season, the museum explained in the release.

During those 40 days, foods like lard, butter, and sugar were at risk of spoiling, so efforts were made to consume those foods before the fasting began. Fastnachts are usually made with potato flour, sugar, eggs, and butter or lard, and are fried, resulting in a crispy exterior and a tender, doughy center.

“Fastnacht Day gives our patrons a chance to appreciate and enjoy an iconic piece of Berks County history in Fegely’s Reading Diner and get rare insight into the machines on display, as well as the historic building the Museum’s collection is housed in, through our docents’ stories,” said Zaborowski.

In addition to the classic fried treats and coffee, visitors will have full access to the museum’s historic collection. Docents will be on hand to answer questions about the vehicles and provide insight into the rare machines on display.

“Patrons can enjoy the full slate of all the Museum has to offer with machine shop and blacksmithing demonstrations, docents providing tours, and dining in the famous Fegely’s Reading Diner,” said Zaborowski.

Live blacksmithing demonstrations and machine shop demonstrations will be held in the original Jeremiah Swinehart Carriage Factory, which is part of the museum’s galleries and is open to the public daily.

“This event is made possible with great help from our generous volunteers who give their time freely to the Museum on Fastnacht Day and the other 364 days of the year,” said Zaborowski.

Iconic piece of Berks County history

Fegely’s Reading Diner is a fondly remembered icon in Berks County. Built in 1938 by the Jerry O’Mahony Co. of Elizabeth, N.J., it was a freestanding establishment along Route 422 in Exeter Township until 1950, when owner Howard Fegely moved it across the road and built his Fegely’s Family Restaurant around it.

“Well-protected for the next 53 years, the Reading Diner weathered beautifully, despite the hustle and bustle of the diners, cooks, and waitstaff surrounding it,” according to a museum press release.

Following the restaurant’s closing in 2003, the original diner was rescued by the Archbury Foundation, and, in 2008, the foundation donated the building to the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, where it sits today and delights visitors of all ages.

In addition to Fastnacht Day, the museum also opened Fegley’s Reading Diner in November 2023 for Diner Day during which patrons enjoyed coffee and pie at 1938 prices — that means a nickel for a cup of coffee and a quarter for a slice of pie.

A 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1965 by Paul and Erminie Hafer, the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, located at 85 S. Walnut St. in Boyertown, preserves and displays examples of Pennsylvania’s road transportation history in the former factory buildings of the Boyertown Auto Body Works.

More than 90 locally manufactured cars, trucks, carriages, bicycles, and motorcycles are on display, as well as two examples of roadside architecture — a 1921 cottage-style Sunoco gas station and a 1938 Jerry O’Mahony diner.

The Museum is open seven days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contribution rates are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and AAA members, and ages 15 and under are free. For more information, call 610-367-2090 or visit www.boyertownmuseum.org.