I remember this little hot dog stand that sat at the corner of either Swan or Dove Street and Lake Shore Drive in Dunkirk, N.Y. The streets in that part of town all had the names of birds. Probably the reason I remember it so well is that my girlfriend’s brother owned it.

It was nothing fancy. It was just a place for us to meet our friends.

I know it was there when I was in high school, but I am not sure when it first started. Once we got our licenses, we were able to visit it by ourselves.

This was probably one of the first food trucks. Although it did not have a place to drive it, I am sure there was a hitch to be pulled by a truck. I remember it sitting at their farm all winter, then it was hauled down and placed there.

Often, we spent our evenings down there visiting. Mary worked there. She waited on us when we stopped. They served hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, and soft drinks. The soft drinks were served in glass bottles that you were charged two-cents to take away from the stand. I am not sure what else they served because that was all I ever ordered.

They had a couple picnic tables in the front so you could sit down to eat. Life in those days was so different than it is today. I am not saying there was no crime in Dunkirk at that point, but I am saying it was a lot safer then. The picnic tables did not have to be bolted down either.

After they finished serving for the evening, they put down the windows, fastened some hooks on the inside and left for the night. Today those little hooks would be easy prey for anyone who wanted to get into it. In those days no one bothered it.

We often went to band concerts in the park across the street. On those nights that stand was busy. It was all hands-on deck to keep the food coming. My cousin and I collected bottles to return them for cash. Each bottle was two-cents. We found enough bottles to at least get a bottle of pop or some chips or pretzels. Sometimes there was enough to get a hot dog that we could share.

The band concerts were fun. We took a blanket to sit on to enjoy the music. The songs they played were some we all knew. They handed out papers with the words but we seldom needed them. We knew those old songs by heart. Some of them were campfire songs that we sang at camp.

Poor Mary had to start wearing gloves because her hands were raw from all the washing. She also had to cut the onions so they helped with the smell.

Sometimes we came from the beach to get our hot dog. Sometimes we came from work. If it was a slow night sometimes, we played cards at the picnic tables. If we bought something we were welcome. I have a hunch that her brother and sister-in-law liked knowing that we were all safe and behaving ourselves.

Mary was an aunt before we were out of grade school. Her brothers and sister were quite a bit older than we were. Sometimes I went to babysit with her. I remember when they moved from their apartment to the farmhouse. That farmhouse took a lot of work to get it livable, but they were happy there.

The stand was open every evening with extended hours on the weekends. It was one of our favorite places to eat.

As life progressed so did our tastes. When I worked at Kobacher’s the group of ladies often went out to eat on Friday nights. Then, our favorite place to go was Rusch’s Restaurant. They had the best lobster dainties and you could get all you could eat. Rusch’s Restaurant was also on Lake Shore Drive but it was further out. I think it is a club now but I am not sure what one.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.