(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – The Lion’s Den at the Red Lion Inn will play host to the  second BerkShare the Love event on Tuesday, February 12, 2013, from 5 to 7pm. The event celebrates the Berkshire economy with local beverages, local food, and music from The Easy Ridin’ Papas, an up-and-coming Berkshire duo.  To keep their money circulating among the businesses that produce this great local food and drink, all patrons will be encouraged to spend BerkShares, the Berkshire region’s own local currency.

To facilitate the use of BerkShares there will be an exchange point set up at the Lion’s Den where those attending can exchange U.S. currency for BerkShares and learn more about the local currency option, including where to procure BerkShares, where to spend them, and how BerkShares can be a tool for Berkshire economic development.

Will Conklin and Adam Brown, also known as The Easy Ridin’ Papas, will provide live musical entertainment for the night.  The Easy Ridin’ Papas are known for their “By Gum Music from a Bygone Era.” They play an eclectic mix of early 20th century country blues and jazz, western swing, Southern gospel, jug-band, and ragtime, and they don’t hesitate to play anything else that catches their fancy. Between the two of them, these multi-talented musicians will hold down the parlor guitar, resonator guitar, trumpet, cornet, vocals, kazoo, and the all-important whistle.

The Red Lion Inn always encourages its customers to spend BerkShares, and the Lion’s Den never misses a chance to celebrate the great local offerings on its menu, so they are happy to be hosting BerkShare the Love. The bar and the kitchen offer a great variety of local products, including meat and cheese, vegetables, and beverages. There is always a fresh Brewer’s Choice beer on tap from Great Barrington’s Berkshire Mountain Brewers, as well as beer from Berkshire Brewing Company, and the full line of spirits from Sheffield’s Berkshire Mountain Distillers.  The Tuesday pub special is local Punsit Valley barbeque chicken.

Red Lion Inn executive chef Brian J. Alberg says, “To eat and buy locally is to sustain and nourish a community and its landscape for future generations to enjoy.”

 

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