The first winter storm is often the worst storm. Drivers have to get used to going and stopping on snow and ice again.
The second worst is the last one when we’re all sick of winter weather.
Anyway, the storm that started Sunday afternoon and was forecast to last until early Tuesday morning was expected to be a doozy with 10 to 18 inches of snow falling in our area.
The wisest approach is to stay home when the roads are hazardous. But plenty of people don’t have that option.
So, we thank those hardy souls who work for the local highway departments and state plowing and treating our roads — often through the night because bad weather doesn’t stop at sunset. Likewise police and firefighters are on alert in case their help is needed.
What can we ordinary citizens do? Clear the sidewalks — and hydrants — in front of our homes. (It’s bad form to throw snow onto the roads.)
Have elderly or infirm neighbors? Please check on them to see if they need a hand.
As for driving, common sense safety tips include making sure tires have enough tread and are properly inflated, plus having fully functional windshield wipers. Keep plenty of distance from the vehicle in front. Increase and decrease a vehicle’s speed slowly.
Clean snow and ice off the windows, mirrors and vehicle. Good visibility is a must. And no one wants to get stuck driving behind a car or truck that dumps snow on the road.
We will weather this and other storms together.
Shelburne Falls businesses and volunteers worked some bona fide magic Friday night to keep the village’s traditional holiday festival going.
Earlier this fall it appeared Midnight Magic might not happen after the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association announced it didn’t have enough funding to pay a full-time organizer.
For many villagers that was an unacceptable situation since this event has drawn locals and visitors on the night after Thanksgiving for years.
Led by Molly Cantor, owner of Molly Cantor Pottery, the village’s business owners and volunteers got together to try pulling it off. The first meeting drew 23 local business owners, who decided the event was too important to let it go.
So, the work was divided — from promotion and fundraising to organizing participants, vendors and events to setup and cleanup.
The Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association did hold a community fund drive for decorations and left materials to help the business owners and volunteers organize.
And from the throngs who bundled up Friday night, Midnight Magic was indeed a success. The sidewalks were lined with candlelit luminarias. A lively Parade of Lights crossed the Iron Bridge and lit boats crossed beneath. Zumba and Irish dancers performed. Visitors could shop at the vendors set up along Bridge Street and local businesses on both sides of the Deerfield River
“I’m excited to see people in the streets,” Cantor said that night as she waited for the parade.
This year’s Moonlight Magic is a demonstration of what can be accomplished when people come together with a common goal. It would have been so easy to just let the event go because of the amount of work involved.
But drawing people to the village and its businesses was too good an opportunity to pass up. We hope the momentum continues.