November 19, 2008

Dear Friends,

Our heads turned as we passed the Main Street, Great Barrington display window at AdventureUS. Large cardboard replicas of BerkShares were playfully tossed in the front -- a hole cut out where the faces of Herman Melville, W.E.B. DuBois, Robyn Van En, Norman Rockwell, and a Moheagan Indian should have been.

The display is the work of cardboard artist G. Jake Reiny. Fun, imaginative, talented, and with a social purpose.

Remember the old county fairs where you could place your face in a cut out of a President or some other famous person and have your picture taken. We did just that with BerkShares. Take a look at the results on the front page of the BerkShares website.

Who do you know who might want to be featured on Berkshires own currency? The folks at AdventureUs are willing to accommodate the fun.

While there, take a look at all the fine shopping opportunities for your outdoor adventure needs. Bring BerkShares and enjoy.

Also keep a lookout for the next issue of Newsweek Magazine. Tony Dokoupil has written a story about how at a time of global financial instability, local currencies are gaining new attention. BerkShares is featured with photos by Jason Houson.

In other news, BerkShares has topped the two million mark! Over two million BerkShares have been issued by participating branches of Berkshire Bank, Salisbury Bank and Trust, Lee Bank, Pittsfield Coop Bank, and Lenox National Bank. A big thanks to all who made this milestone a reality.

Best wishes,

BerkShares Team
P.O. Box 125
Great Barrington, MA 01230
www.berkshares.org