February 18 was the first day you could order up a special glass of beer at Higherground Brewery to help raise funds for the soon-to-be constructed new Hamilton Volunteer Fire Hall. A small kick-off (or sip-off) celebration was held during the noon hour at the Hamilton brewery. In fact, the brewery on US 93 in Hamilton is only about two blocks away from the new fire hall.

Joel Connolly of Higherground said the beer chosen to raise funds for the department is "Backdraft Imperial Red IPA." He said you can only order it at the brewery, and he expects plenty of demand as the public finds out about the fundraising aspect of the sales. We asked how long it would be offered. Connolly said that he expects the supply to last two months, at the most.

Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brad Mohn and a number of the volunteer firefighters were at the gathering Friday. Mohn was pleased with the campaign and thanked Hamilton City Councilor Dan Mitchell for getting Higherground involved. Mitchell said he and his wife Jody thought the idea seemed like a perfect small town community fundraiser.

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Brad said construction of the new building on Skeels Avenue should get started this summer. Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf said fire department has outgrown the original Hamilton Fire Hall at the corner of 3rd Street and State. The building has been used since the days when horses pulled the fire wagons in Hamilton. The new much larger and taller equipment has required remodeling over the years, but the limitations of the hall finally have been reached. The city council is continuing to develop funding for the new building.

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