Fastnacht Day at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles

Date of Visit: February 21, 2023

I’ve written before about the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles – a place dedicated to telling the story of the transportation industry from a Pennsylvania perspective.

One of the highlights of the Museum is the former Reading Diner. During any visit to the Museum, it’s a great place to sit down and relax and learn a little more about the importance of roadside eateries to the growth of the automobile.

Reading Diner inside the Boyertown Museum of HIstoric Vehicles

But a few times a year, the diner becomes more than just a static display – it bustles to life to once again fill its role of serving hungry patrons.

Diner Days are a time when visitors can pay 25 cents for a slice of pie and 5 cents for a cup of coffee (with paid museum admission). It’s a fun time with the prices being a throwback to when the diner was in its heyday.

Patrons pack every seat inside the Reading Diner during Fastnacht Day at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles

One other event brings the Reading Diner to life while also celebrating another aspect of Pennsyvlvania heritage – Fastnacht Day.

Fastnacht Day, known elsewhere in the world as Fat Tuesday, is celebrated the day before the beginning of Lent. In many Pennsylvania German communities, it is celebrated by enjoying fastnachts, a potato donut, as a symbolic final indulgence before the more reflective season in the Christian church.

White plate with a potato donut on a marble counter of the Reading Diner inside the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles

The Boyertown Museum marks the occasion by opening the diner and serving hundreds of fastnachts to hungry museum-goers.

The servers are museum volunteers and staff members and the fastnachts are donated, but the event helps to bring the Reading Diner alive – at least for a few hours – as the gathering place that it once was.

Lkie the food served at the diner over the years, the fastnachts are delicious – pillowy and doughy – a once-a-year indulgence that’s worth a try wherever you can find them.

And the Boyertown Museum might be my favorite place to find them.

When You Go

For Fastnacht Day and Diner Day, regular admission still applies. All food and drink purchases are in addition to the admission price.
Events inside the Reading Diner are popular and lines are common. Take the time to explore the exhibits until the lines go down.