North Queensbury Fire Co.

 On Lake George

MR 2 Dedication Ceremony

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North Queensbury Vol. Fire Company on Lake George will dedicate a Fire/Rescue boat, Marine Rescue 2, on Sunday, May 22, 2005 at 2:00 pm, at the Trout Pavilion dock on Pilot Knob.   This is the sight of the former Trout Pavilion Hotel on Lake George.  Fire boats from Lake George and Bolton Landing will be present at the dedication to present their salute of high flying water.  The public is invited to attend.  After the dedication, family and friends are invited to attend a reception provided by the Ladies Auxiliary at the North Queensbury Volunteer Fire Company on Rt. 9L.

The boat is being dedicated in memory of a past member, community business man and community friend, Ronald Williamson.  Also know in the community as “Spider”, Ronnie contributed to the community and fire company in many ways.  The company is recognizing his unselfish acts by dedicating the fire/rescue boat to him and naming it, “The Spider”.  

The fire company under the direction of Fire Chief Jeff Baertschi, Fire Company President Peter Fraser, fire company members, the Williamson family, community leaders and friends of Ronald “Spider” Williamson will be in attendance at the dedication.

The dedication will honor Spider’s life and his loyalty to the North Queensbury Fire Co.  He joined the Fire Company on May 3, 1956, and served as an active firefighter for 24 years.  When an alarm sounded, Spider locked his store’s door to answer the alarm on a 1916 American LaFrance open air fire truck. This antique pumper is still the pride of the company, and will be present at the dedication.  At the end of the fire, Spider would return and reopen his store.  He became an honorary member of the company in 1980 and served in this capacity until his death in 2003.

Spider was a lifelong resident of The North Queensbury Fire District.  He attended the one room red Katskill Bay School house from first through sixth grades, and graduated from Lake George Central High School.  In the 1940’s his family built and ran the Williamson General Store on Rt. 9L at Pilot Knob Rd.  Spider took over the family business in the mid l950s.  The store was a gathering spot, and Spider became a legend of the local folk lore.  Sportsman would gather at the end of a day and weigh their prize catches of salmon and lake trout on the store’s meat scales.  Friends often gathered for a hand of cards in the store’s back room!  In his later years, Ron opened his market at any hour of the day or night to provide firemen with food and hot coffee at a fire scene. 

The fire/rescue boat that will be dedicated to Spider protects 39 miles of Lake George shoreline in the North Queensbury Fire district.  The boat is  a 24 foot rough water Robala that has served the fire company on Lake George for the past 2 years.  It was donated to the company through the efforts of Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland.  Through the Warren County mutual aid program, the boat can be called to any area of the lake to assist in emergencies.

Press Release: Fred McKinney, Vice President NQVFC

Photos: Dee Dee McKinney 

             Webmaster Note..... Special thanks to our (Chaplain) John Shahay for an outstanding ceremony and Bolton Landing Fire Dept.  for there dedicated support to us and our Citizens who enjoy beautiful Lake George.

Bolton Fire Boat 1 "Miss Elsa"

Left to right:   John Shahay, Pete Fraser and Jeff Baertschi "Hose Down" the bow with Cleverdale Country Store's finest Champagne