With 30 days to go before the Nov. 4 election, the McCain Campaign opened a Berks County headquarters Saturday afternoon.

Berks County GOP Chairman Mark Gillen was on hand to open the headquarters at 5001 Perkiomen Ave. (Route 422 west) in Exeter Township.

The grand opening celebration ran from 3 to 5 p.m., with a steady stream visitors stopping by to pick up campaign signs, bumper stickers and literature for the McCain/Palin ticket as well as other GOP candidates, including Congressman Jim Gerlach, Steve Fuhs, running for the 11th state Senate District, and Dick Gokey, a candidate for the 130th state House District.

Gillen said the office will be staffed seven-days-a-week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Election Day.

Anyone interested in volunteering is welcome to stop by the office to sign up.

During a pep talk to volunteers, Gillen predicted McCain will surprise conventional wisdom (and the polls) by winning the presidency.

Gillen also announced that the Berks County office has free tickets to attend a Road to Victory Rally with John McCain and Sarah Palin scheduled for Lehigh Univeristy in Bethlehem on Wednesday, Oct. 8. Doors open 10:30 a.m.

Several GOP volunteers also discussed a growing problem of campaign sign thefts in Berks and Chester counties.

Berks Republicans are also promoting the party's annual "Berks GOP Newsmaker Dinner," scheduled for Friday, Oct. 17, at The Inn at Reading. The speaker hasn't been announced yet, but the entertainment will include country star Pat Garrett singing his tribute to Sarah Palin, "Moose Shootin' Mama."

Anyone interested in attending the dinner can call 610-374-1100.

For more about the Berks GOP, visit the party's Web site, http://berks.mygopsite.com/