"The Range" is what David Bond has named his new golf driving range on the lush field owned by his family for generations.
Located alongside Curran Highway in North Adams, The Range will officially open this weekend, with free commemorative T-shirts given to the first 150 persons renting some of the 10,000 golf balls the 28-year-old entrepreneur has purchased for the initial season.
The son of John and Gabriela Bond grew up across the street from the Bond meadow, in the building that is now home to Jae's Inn.
"It will be the only commercial driving range in the Berkshires north of Lanesboro, and is located on Route 8, one of the busiest highways in the entire area," said Bond, a member of the Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown and a former member of the Furman University team in South Carolina.
"We played against the Stanford team when Tiger Woods was a freshman," said Bond, who intends to turn professional after next year's Massachusetts Amateur Championship at Taconic, where he hopes to qualify.
Young Bond returned to North Adams, after his junior year at Furman, to help his parents operate their extensive real estate holdings in the city, including the Bond building at 85 Main St. He received a bachelor's degree in 1997 from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and later played in a minitour in Charleston, S.C., where he worked at a golf club.
He knew that there had been a driving range on the 38-acre meadow some 35 years ago, and the original office and storage building will be in use for the first season.The earlier range had been operated by Ray Pantano, then the pro at Waubeeka Golf Links.
But Bond has plans for a complete golf and recreation center, including a club house and restaurant, as well as baseball batting cages, bocci courts, a miniature golf course, an executive (par-3) course and indoor golf facilities.
A taste of the future operations will be available this weekend, when Pete Terpek, owner of Precision Golf on Elm Street in Pittsfield, will have a fitting center for Mizuno golf clubs.
Refreshments will also be offered and Bond is hopeful that Mayor John Barrett III, arguably the best golfer among the ranks of Berkshire community leaders, will hit the ceremonial first ball.
Bond is working to improve drainage on the meadow, which offers space for 325-yard drives. And he will elevate all structures above the nominal flood plain level.
The driving range will be the main project this summer, with work on the other facilities to start in the fall or next year, with full operations expected by the spring of 2005.
For years, as the economy declined throughout the Berkshires, gifted young residents left the area to "seek their fortunes."
Now young David Bond has returned to add luster to the Bond family traditions.
Thursday, June 12 will be an exciting day at Waubeeka when the 11th annual Berkshire County Law Enforcement Tourney will award prizes of $1,000, $500 and $100 for the three balls landing closest to a pin after being dropped from a helicopter.
Other charity events include the second annual Paul Mullett Sr. Golf Classic on Saturday at the Bas Ridge Country Club in Hinsdale. Call 684-0921.
While the future of skating programs at the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Rink is on thin ice for the coming 2003-'04 season, summer programs will begin soon.
Information and registration sessions will take place Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and also Monday, June 16 through Thursday, June 19, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the North Adams facility - which is owned by the state Department of Environmental Management and is operated, at present, by the nearby Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
The college is offering an innovative summer recreation program for children ages 6 through 12, featuring eight one-week sessions starting July 7 and ending Aug. 29.
The programs include ice skating, group games, swimming, arts and crafts, field trips and more. The cost is $80 per session, with discounts for those enrolled for more than one week. Each participant is assigned a counselor for each session. Information is available at the rink: 662-5112.
But with deep cuts from the state allocation to MCLA, it may be necessary for the college to drop its hockey team, which could result in severing the MCLA management agreement.
MCLA Athletic Director Scott Nichols said the hockey team accounts for around $100,000 annually - for one-sixth of the total athletic budget.
If hockey is eliminated, MCLA will replace it with cross-country running teams for men and women, in order to field the minimum of five men's and five women's teams to remain in the National College Athletic Association.
Nichols said the college should have final budget figures for the coming academic year by the end of the month.
In the meantime, the rink is being prepared for the opening of the summer season July 1, when several junior hockey teams will begin training that lasts throughout July and August. There will be a variety of skating programs and times available, as well as for special outings and related events. Call the rink for details.
Ice is no problem for canoeists and kayakers, as flat water races are now the norm, since the rivers' white water has calmed down.
The annual Wild Goose Chase canoe and kayak race will be Sunday at Onota Lake in Pittsfield, starting at 10 a.m. at the Controy Pavilion. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and T-shirts will be given to the first 100 registrants.The race is about 10 miles long, with several recreational and racing categories. At 9 a.m., there will be a short parent/youth race with prizes for every child. Contact Patty Spector at Patty@joshbillings.com.
Spector is the director of the annual Great Josh Billings RunAground, which will take place in early September and will feature canoeing in the Stockbridge Bowl, biking and running. More than 400 canoes will be in the water at the same time.
Since it began more than 25 years ago, as the first summer biathlon in the Northeast, "the Josh" has been credited for popularizing both biking and canoeing in the area, as well as bringing new runners into the sport.
Tennis has been in the doldrums for the past 20 years, but it's showing signs of life. The newly formed North Adams Community Tennis Association will launch its inaugural summer tennis program Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon, with a "rock & rally" at the city tennis courts on Noel field. The event is free and includes music, games, tennis and refreshments. Call 663-5380 for details.
John Hitchcock, of Williamstown, writes frequently about the area sports scene.
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Berkshire Food Project Closed for Power Issues
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Berkshire Food Project is closed Monday because of a power outage early in the morning.
"We are unable to get proper electricity and heat to the building," according to Executive Director Matthew Alcombright. "We hope that this can be resolved and be open tomorrow."
The project does have some sandwiches and frozen meals that will be distributed at the entry.
The city has lifted a boil water order — with several exceptions — that was issued late Monday morning following several water line breaks over the weekend. click for more
The bridge had been closed to all vehicle traffic since March 2023 after being deemed structurally deficient by the state Department of Transportation. click for more
