NY Times Article

In 2013, The New York Times published an article which discussed how the Wilmington community came together after Hurricane Irene and worked to rebuild Dot’s Restaurant. The article, titled “In Vermont, a Town That Would Not Let Its Diner Go”, tracks Dot’s as a piece of Wilmington history. The building, which is the oldest in Wilmington, was a local legend that was destroyed by the storm. Together with the help of the people of their community the owners, Patty and John Reagan, took on the task of rebuilding Dot’s.

This article pulls on the heartstrings of its readers, talking about Dot’s as a part of the community rather than a small business. Dot’s was able to be salvaged because the community felt that they had to protect it as a piece of themselves. Hell, the governor was there when they announced they’d be reopening. Dot’s was clearly a big deal in Wilmington. However, as incredible as Dot’s is, it is still just a restaurant that closed down for a bit, right?

Over two years after Hurricane Irene blew through Wilmington, The New York Times turns its eyes towards Dot’s. It is interesting to see such a large newspaper cover such a small-town story. As someone who has spent a lot of time in Wilmington, having a house there for over 10 years, I can attest that the town is a small, quiet one. It’s certainly not the type of town one would expect to read about on The New York Times website. However, this story is one that resonated throughout the nation when we all needed a bit of good news.