If you had a hot dog or beverage at the Rochester Boat Race finish line this Memorial Day, then you encountered “The Dorothy” shown here in this picture. The Dorothy started as a peanut wagon bought by then Dorothy Bray for entertainment at a friend’s party. Later, Dorothy married that friend, Joe Plumb. After its party participation, she insisted on gifting the wagon to the Brotherhood.
For many years, the Brotherhood was a group of about 30 “older men” most from Rochester. They were active in the community with projects of all kinds and the sponsoring of a variety of groups. The Dorothy had wheels and could be towed to different events where food could be cooked. Maybe it was the prototype for today’s food trucks.
After the Brotherhood was disbanded, the Dorothy became the property of the Rochester Fire Department as the Rochester Firefighter Association took over the annual clambake, the sponsorship of the Boat Race (now sponsored by Town of Rochester Fire Department) and other Brotherhood projects and has been serving hot dogs at the race finish line for over 50 years. So, if you had a hot dog on Monday, you took part in a long-standing Rochester tradition.
By Connie Eshbach
