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Shire Doughnuts Officially Welcomed to Adams

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Owners Heather and Jeff King opened the Summer Street doughnut shop last fall. 
ADAMS, Mass. — One year and 125,000 doughnuts later, the town officially welcomed Shire Donuts with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
 
"It is never easy to open a small business, but it is really not easy to open a small business during a pandemic," Selectwoman Christine Hoyt said. "But you guys showed people how to do that and how to do it well." 
 
Typically when a new business opens in town the Selectmen hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Shire opened up last year but with the pandemic, the board had to delay any welcoming event.
 
On Friday, members of the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Jay Green gathered in front of the shop to make good on the town's tradition.
 
The shop opened up in fall 2020. Owners Jeff and Heather King made their dream a reality and after renovating the 52 Summer St. storefront, began serving boutique and custom doughnuts to customers that oftentimes lined up down the sidewalk.
 
"I would see a socially distanced line down here rain or shine," Hoyt said. "It didn't matter. People were lining up for doughnuts and they came from all over."
 
Green said businesses like Shire Donuts help put Adams on the map and spurs on other potential business development.
 
"People are coming to Adams for your business. Not only do you serve the Adams community but the town is rightfully now starting to take its place as a destination and that happens because of small businesses like yourselves," Green said. "...Thank you for what you have done for Adams. Now let's have some doughnuts."
 
The Kings thanked all those who have supported them through the first year of business.
 
"We have had tremendous support from friends family and certainly the town of Adams right form the beginning," Jeff said. "This was new for us, and we needed a lot of direction...everyone in the town has been supportive. We appreciate all of that so we are on to our next 125,000."


Tags: doughnuts,   ribbon cutting,   

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State Fire Marshal Returns to Hoosac Valley to Offer Career Advice

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Jon Davine joined the Marines just out of high school and spent 25 years moving up the ladder as a Northampton firefighter. He was selected to replace State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey in 2023. 
CHESHIRE, Mass. — As juniors and seniors consider their futures, Hoosac Valley High School officials strive to introduce them to various industries and accomplished professionals through the Pathways program.
 
On May 22, State Fire Marshal Jon Davine was one such official, returning to his alma mater to give students an inside look into his profession and offer some words of advice.
 
During the 50-minute presentation, he outlined his career journey, which began with his service in the Marine Corps, continued through work as a bricklayer, firefighter, and fire captain, and ultimately led to his current leadership role in public safety. He later visited Hoosac Elementary.
 
The Adams native and 1989 Hoosac graduate was chief of the Northampton Fire and Rescue Department when he was tapped by the state in 2023. He was the first fire marshal from Western Massachusetts and, according to the state Department of Fire Services, the first of its recruits to "work his way to the top job using a system designed to make that possible."
 
His journey demonstrated that students do not need to have everything figured out at this stage in their lives.
 
"I think it helped kind of relieve some of the nerves that I have about taking that next step and going off and pursuing college," senior Nathan Lapinski said.
 
"He went through a couple … career opportunities before he went to firefighting, before he became the fire marshal, so I think it helped relieve some of the nerves about trying to figure out what I want to do so early."
 
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