By Jeanne Mozier

Under the headline of 10 great places with art-filled spaces, USA Today on December 14 included Berkeley Springs among other notable towns including Key West; Prescott, Arizona and Athens, Georgia.

According to the paper, John Villani, author of the "100 Best Small Art Towns in America," developed the list of his favorites.

The entry on Berkeley Springs highlighted homeopathy, hot springs, an art gallery inside a restaurant and a movie theater that posts its popcorn recipe on the Internet. "Berkeley Springs lives up to its reputation as a fun-loving place filled with quirky characters," read the article. "It's loaded with antique stores, fine crafts galleries and shops specializing in bath and spa items."

Arts promoter Jeanne Mozier was delighted with the coverage. "We started out in 1994 as one of the 100 best. Earlier this year, Berkeley Springs was voted #18 of the top 25 art destinations in America. Now USA Today has us in the top 10. I can't wait until we hit #1," she said.

Mozier was also pleased that the article listed the Website for Berkeley Springs -- www.berkeleysprings.com. "That's the equivalent of about $5000 worth of paid advertising," she said.