ThunderFest is this Weekend

08:28AM / Wednesday, March 22, 2023Print Story | Email Story

ADAMS, Mass. — ProAdams announced that ThunderFest will return Saturday, March 25 from 12-5 p.m., outdoors at the Adams Visitor Center, located at 3 Hoosac Street.

Admission is free to this day of live music, vendors, and family fun.

ThunderFest will feature two musical acts.

SHYNE is a multi-genre band covering classic and contemporary rock, pop, and country. Their performance will begin at 2:30 p.m. and run until 5 p.m.

Before that, the Brave Brothers will play at noon.

Enjoy local beer, wine, and hot food for purchase from Firehouse Café & Bistro, Burrito Revolution, Bezzle's BBQ, Lions Club, Berkshire Brewing Company, Wandering Star, Sam Adams, Long Trail, Truly, and Balderdash Cellars.

More than 20 vendors and exhibitors will offer crafts, outdoor recreation, services and information.

Activities for kids will be offered and leashed pets are welcome on the grounds.

Hoosac Valley Train Ride will kick off its season with Easter Bunny Hop Train rides from Adams

Station to North Adams and back. Children and adults are invited to meet the Easter Bunny on

trains leaving at noon, 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.

As ThunderFest winds down at 5 p.m., a Fling into Spring train with live music from Samantha Talora and Ron Ramsay will leave the station.

Tickets for all trains can be purchased online.

ThunderFest was created to honor and promote the historic Thunderbolt Ski Run, a Class A downhill ski trail down the east face of Mount Greylock. Originally built in the 1930s, the trail became a popular destination for serious skiers. Annual races brought competitors from as far away as Europe.

With the advent of ski areas with rope tows and chair lifts, the Thunderbolt fell into disuse. In the early 2000s, a group of local backcountry skiers called the Thunderbolt Ski Runners restored the trail and eventually brought back annual ski races to Mount Greylock.

ThunderFest is supported by: Adams Community Bank, Aladco, Berkshire Gas, Chee's Chinese Cuisine, and SBM Insurance, plus the many volunteers.

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Adams Eyes 2031 Construction for Howland Avenue Safety Improvements

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:44AM / Tuesday, November 10, 2026

ADAMS, Mass. — For several years, the town has been working on plans to improve safety along Howland Avenue, with the reconstruction project now anticipated for inclusion in the 2031 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

The overhaul to Howland Avenue is aimed at reducing speeding, improving roadway safety and expanding pedestrian and bicycle access. The project also seeks to address aging infrastructure and deteriorating roadway conditions along the Route 8 corridor.

Howland Avenue currently consists of four travel lanes, with two lanes in each direction, creating a wide roadway that allows vehicles to travel at higher speeds.

According to VHB, the town's engineering consultant, Howland Avenue carries an average of 14,223 vehicles daily. Although the posted speed limit is 45 mph, traffic studies found that the roadway's 85th-percentile operating speed is 56 mph.

"This four-lane cross section was constructed in 1997 with the goal of providing roadway capacity for traffic anticipated to be generated by redevelopment in the area, which never occurred," VHB's Pre-25 percent design submission said.

"The improvement project was initiated to enhance safety, accessibility, and multimodal connectivity while addressing deteriorated pavement, drainage, and utility needs."

The proposed redesign includes reducing the existing four-lane roadway to one 11-foot travel lane in each direction from the Specialty Minerals Facility to just South of the North Adams City Line.

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