We encountered a fleeting phenomenon last week:

Civil discussion.

It was almost uncanny.

Hundreds of people from across the Adirondacks gathered at the Lake Placid
Golf Club House to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the
region, including workforce development, overuse in the High Peaks and the
perennial question of how to attract young people to sustain our struggling
communities.

There were no screaming matches, hurt feelings, fistfights or resentful
diatribes.