Scotty’s Bus Memorial Mural — Frederick, Maryland
For years, Raymond Scott, better known around Frederick as “Scotty,” owned and operated an old school bus that had been gutted and converted into what we might now call one of Frederick’s early food trucks. But Scotty’s bus was different from the food trucks we know today. You could actually go inside, sit on a stool along the counter, look out the windows, and enjoy one of his famous hot dogs topped with Scotty’s secret sauce.
The bus became more than just a place to get something to eat. Scotty served hot dogs, but he also served up conversation and friendship to people from all walks of life. For many people in Frederick, stopping at Scotty’s bus became part of their lives and a piece of the city’s history.
After Scotty passed away, I was asked to create a memorial mural based on a watercolor painting by Frederick artist Rebecca Pearl. I recreated her artwork as a mural approximately 24 feet long and 8 feet high on the dugouts at McCurdy Field.
The location made the project especially meaningful. The mural overlooks the area where Scotty’s bus once sat and where, for so many years, he served his hot dogs, his famous secret sauce, and countless conversations to generations of people in Frederick.
The mural was created not simply as a picture of an old bus, but as a tribute to Raymond “Scotty” Scott and a piece of Frederick history that many people still remember.