houghton community – Houghton STAR

Those in the Houghton community have probably noticed that the building which was once Subway and then vacated for a bit now houses a new business: the River Dog Fly Shop.

Walking into the store, one is almost inundated with how different the interior is to what the chain sandwich shop once looked like, seeing walls covered with fishing lines, hammocks hanging in display, a big desk area taking up the center of the main space, and the side area turned into a quasi-art gallery.

Owner Indrek Kongats emphasized that the store was based around the outdoors very broadly, though the name is focused on fly fishing. Nearly anything that is centered around outdoor activity is found here. There are hammocks, backpacks, knives, and more. They are aiming to also exploit more water and boating activities, with canoes and kayaks.

An especially unique aspect of the shop is the art gallery, dubbed the “River Dog Gallery,” located in a small room off the main shop area. The work contained there includes etchings, oil and watercolor paintings, wood sculptures, and mixed media pieces. Notably, all pieces are originals and signed by the artists. There are also nature and sports artwork books and magazines which feature art from sporting artists—both displayed and not.

Some of the most notable artists with work on display and for sale are Gordon Allen, C.D. Clarke, Rod Crossman, Felix Eljas, Walter Look, and Morten Fadum.

Clarke and Crossman both have local ties. Clarke, born in nearby Rochester, NY, is one of the nation’s most talented watercolor and oil artists who primarily paints fishing, hunting, and outdoor scenes, according to Sporting Artisans. Crossman, who was raised mostly in upstate New York, is another sporting artist, and he loves to fly fish. His work can be found in a number of sporting publications regularly.

“Our fine collection of sporting artists is only equaled by top galleries in New York city…‘we’ve brought a little bit of Manhattan to Houghton!’” their website (riverdogflyfishing.com) exclaims.

Pieces are available for purchase and custom framings are available for any prints which are not yet framed.

Kongats says he has high hopes for the expansion of the art gallery. He has spoken with Houghton College ceramics professor Aaron Harrison about the opportunity of having more local artists involved in the gallery. He eventually hopes to make the gallery more of a destination that people will want to travel to see, which he hopes to accomplish by getting the word out about it.

While the art may draw in a certain crowd, there are other compelling aspects. Along with the already mentioned outdoor items, the shop also has sporting DVDs and reads; gifts, including mugs and cups; sporting dogs; and t-shirts. The t-shirts include River Dog Fly Shop specific shirts as well as more generic “Houghton, NY” shirts, which Kongats said were a particular fan favorite among the groups of college students who have visited the store.

As time goes on, it seems Houghton students will come to know the River Dog Fly Fishing Shop as a place to stop for any of their outdoor needs, artists will find it to be a wonderful place to display and sell their work, and art fans will put it on their lists of galleries to see. ★

The Houghton Volunteer Fire Department is in the process of buying a new ambulance, an expensive purchase, but one the department considers necessary.

The fire department’s emergency medical service has close ties with the Houghton community. Of its fifty members, a majority are students. Access to an ambulance service is both reassuring for parents and students as well as required for some equestrian and sporting events. According to Mae Stadelmaier, graduate of the class of 2009, ambulance captain and president of the fire department, we “offer the best standard of care possible… not only for the community but also for the college”.

The new ambulance, which has already been ordered and is currently being manufactured, will be financed to pay for the $160,000 purchase price. Stadelmaier said that it will hopefully be ready for use by June. Currently, the fire department is using a loaner ambulance due to the mechanical problems of the department’s former, much older ambulance.

Ray Parlett, director of security on campus, stated that those mechanical problems are the major reason that the fire department is seeking to replace it. Parlett has been a volunteer for about twenty-five total years, over a period of time since the 1980s, and has been a firefighter as well as an ambulance driver over the years.

In the past few years there have been “some expensive repairs” to fix a variety of problems. One year ago the ambulance needed a “new rear transaxle” and some brake work done which cost well over $3,000. Recently, the ambulance also had over $1,000 in engine work done, attempting to fix some potential electrical issues. One of the problems, according to Parlett, is that the Volunteer Fire Department does not know exactly what is wrong with the engine. One speculation is that the oil pump is failing, but as Parlett said “We’re looking at a fairly major repair…and we don’t know what’s wrong”.

Ambulances take a lot of stress. In addition to the actual miles driven, the ambulance will sit and idle at a fire call. It is important that it stay warm and ready to leave immediately if necessary—but this does take a toll on an engine. So, while the ambulance has driven about 110,000 miles, Parlett says that the amount of hours on the engine is likely considerably more than that. The current ambulance also has some rust problems.

These three problems taken together make acquiring a new ambulance a priority of the Houghton Volunteer Fire Department. “It’s got a lot of use,” Parlett said, adding that in the time he has volunteered for the Fire Department there have been several different ambulances.

The Houghton Fire Department is run on a completely volunteer basis. Only recently have they begun charging patient insurance companies. These fees barely cover the cost of rides. All EMTs, ambulance drivers, and firefighters are not paid. Why do they do it? As Parlett said, “I like helping people… and it’s a really good opportunity to do that.” Stadelmaier reiterated his point—“EMS has always been a part of my life…I absolutely love serving this community”.

The Houghton Volunteer Fire Department provides a needed service for the Houghton Community. For students, faculty and staff, and other community members who want to support the work they do, there will be a spaghetti dinner fundraiser on April 4.