Wilco @ Baltimore Virgin Fest (more by Bao Nguyen)

The August 12 appearance of the alternative rock band Wilco at Tanglewood has been the subject of numerous articles in and letters to The Berkshire Eagle. Guido's Fresh Marketplace would like your readership to know about our experience with Wilco.

Wilco connected with Guido's when our B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bag) program caught the band's attention. In our stores, using one's own bags enters customers into monthly Guido's gift certificate raffles. Wilco donated 1,000 custom-printed, reusable cloth tote bags to be liberally distributed to shoppers in both store locations. Winners of the July B.Y.O B. raffle were given premium shed tickets to the Wilco performance. A generous number of Wilco at Tanglewood lawn tickets were made available for our customers and were given away at in-store events.

Wilco's popular music brought a large, youthful audience to Tanglewood. This enthusiastic crowd enjoyed a hugely successful concert while also benefiting the local economy through increased tourism.

Wilco has come and gone in Berkshire County, leaving a solid win-win aftermath: satisfied fans, a boosted local economy, and Wilco cloth totes as souvenirs to use for years to come. We appreciate Wilco's willingness to engage local independent businesses in their promotional efforts. We look forward to the appearance of like-minded performers at Tanglewood in the future!

MATTHEW MASIERO (Richmond) & CHRIS MASIERO (Lenox)
The authors are the co-owners of Guido's Fresh Marketplace in Pittsfield and Great Barrington
[Berkshire Eagle Online]