The weather. It seems that the weather is on everybody’s mind lately as Old Man Winter has taken a pretty good grip on our area. The last month – from early December until Wednesday of this week – have reminded many of the good old days when winter started by Thanksgiving and lasted until the end of March.

Well, a good, old-fashioned winter is good for the economy.  Just ask the snowplow drivers who are keeping our parking lots, driveways and roads clean. They’ve had plenty of work.

Ask the workers at Holiday Mtn. Ski Area and Villa Roma Ski Area – and they will give you the same answer, “We’re busy.”

Bait Shops are also smiling as lakes were frozen by mid-December, allowing the intrepid ice fishermen a chance to try their luck. There have been a few winters in recent memory when ice never got thick enough to walk on – much less host a tournament.

And the snowmobilers, snowshoe enthusiasts and outdoor adventurists are having a ball, as this winter has blessed us with enough white stuff to enjoy the ride.

While it looks like the rest of January is going to stay a little above normal – temperature wise – than the beginning of the month, February still promises to keep up honest with cold temperatures and more snow to shovel.

So, if you are still reading this editorial while looking out of your Sullivan County window, sit back, enjoy the beautiful scenery, and smile.

This is what a Sullivan County winter is all about.

Behind the scenes is important

Our article in Tuesday’s edition about two local men and a local business making it into the “Marty Supreme” movie drew a lot of attention.

We were extremely interested in how this all transpired and after talking with the owner of the Fox Bowling Center in Hancock, realized what a big deal it was. He told us that the vetting process took 30 people to make sure his business was the right one and then he had to let the set designers perform their magic and turn Fox into a 1950s ping pong hall. He said it took all of a month – and they removed everything – for just 12 hours of shooting. “But I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he said.

We are sure it was great for the local economy and something we hope happens more regularly.

Hollywood, Sullivan and Delaware County are great places to film.