In Adams, tough luck has yet again struck the intrepid men and women of the Thunderbolt Ski Runners, as the group has been forced by snow conditions to call off their signature race down Mount Greylock's Thunderbolt Ski Trail for the second year running.
Even though Mother Nature has been fickle again, we thank the group and the drove of volunteers involved in organizing this iconic event for their work, even though the masses won't get to enjoy the fruits of those labors this year.
We're also grateful these winter soldiers have not become discouraged at this unfortunate turn of events and are going back to planning for next year. Late January and early February are indeed the best slots on the wheel of weather roulette for snow, and we're betting the race's colors come up next year. We also trust that the crowd of well over a thousand hardy souls who enjoyed the race in each of its two years on the slopes will be waiting with bated breath again next year. The race itself was snowballing in popularity and we have faith in its potential to remain a game-changing cornerstone for the town of Adams.
Speaking to that promise, Thunderfest, the celebration created to complement the race, will still bring libations, food and live music to the Adams Visitors Center on Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m.
We encourage one and all to turn out to support this event and keep the momentum on the rise for both these pivotal pieces of the Adams
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While the ferocity of the debate over gun control in the country has ebbed and flowed since the tragedy of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, one thing has remained a constant: Gun rights advocates, and to some extent, even average gun owners, are taking a beating in the public perception due to one side of the debate having the loudest sound system.
That side of course is the largely left-leaning mainstream media, which has provided a steady stream of pro-gun control opinion pieces and even slanted news articles that do no justice to the portrayal of their opponents. We admit that much of this material has found its way to the pages of this newspaper, giving the appearance that we agree, but we would point out in the same breath that this is due to only one side of the debate locally being vocal on their stance.
Since the conversation started, those locally in favor of new gun control laws have written in to share their opinions and those voices have been complemented by the opinions of our own John Seven and what we publish from The New York Times.
However, we have seen only scant retort from those who disavow the SAFE Act from New York state or President Obama's gun control plan. There have been a few exceptions, most notably Tom Decker, of Readsboro, Vt., who wrote several compelling letters stating the case for his side of the debate, and we were happy to publish them.
The point is that when it comes to matters of opinion, our columns are yours. Our intent is to present all sides of every debate, but we need all the voices coming in to accomplish this feat.
We also would remind everyone that many of the people involved in the anti-regulation effort are simply honest, law-abiding gun owners who are getting nervous about the totality of government scrutinizing what for them is a personal passion. As is the case with every hot topic, there are zealots, but lumping everyone together is never a recipe for truth.
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