From 1973 to 2013: 40 Years of Social Organizing, Economic Growth and Political Activism: Bachelor Forum, Congratulations!
by Evelyn Bailey
What 40 years ago was Fernand’s by the “tracks” is now the newly
renovated, up and coming Bachelor Forum on the corner of University and
the Atlantic Ave. in the NOTA area!
The story based on oral tradition goes something like this. When
Arnie Pegish was a young leather motorcycle queen, he frequented
Fernand’s at 1065 East Main St. near the intersection of Goodman and
Main. Arnie decided he would decrease the outrageous amount of money he
thought he was spending on beer by buying the Bachelor Forum with Walt
and Vinnie Wheeler. So in March of 1973 Arnie bought Fernands and the
story begins.
In April, 1973 the following ad appeared in the Empty Closet
newspaper: “Come See Vinnie, Pat & Arnie At Rochester’s Newest Club,
Fernand’s Beef And Bun, Featuring Recording Star Tom Arena, 1065 East
Main At Goodman.”
In June, 1973, just two months later the name changed and the
Bachelor Forum was open for lunch and dinner complete with a decanter of
wine for $1.95 and “homespun entertainment”! In the early days the
Bachelor Forum held dinners in the “Vintage Room” to support the Albany
lobbying efforts by the New York State Coalition of Gay Organizations
(NYSCGO), the Gay Brotherhood, and the Gay Alliance. The Forum continues
to be the official home bar of The Rochester Rams, M. C., and the
Empire Bears fraternity.
The Forum had live bands and popular films were shown free of charge
on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings. The Bachelor Forum hosted
monthly pageants to choose Mr. Forum, a hunky stud, and Miss Forum, the
best looking drag queen, each of whom would receive engraved trophies.
Aggy Dune began performing at the Forum as a drag queen. You could dance
to live music at the Forum on Thursday, Friday or Saturday between 9
p.m. and 1 a.m.
The Bachelor Forum for many years was synonymous with the
Vinnie–Vickie Cups. The Vinnie Cup Award, first presented in 1975, is
given in honor of Vinnie Wheeler, Arnie’s partner, who left the
community with a challenge for everyone “to do your part to help make
the gay community in Rochester one of the strongest in the country.” The
Vinnie Cup Award is presented to an individual who has made significant
contributions to Rochester’s gay community.
In December of 1973, the Bachelor Forum kitchen was officially named
“Miss Vicky’s Kitchen” after Vicki Russo, who was a bartender at the
Forum and an activist for Human Rights. Two of Vickie’s most notable
humanitarian contributions were that she prepared many dinners for gay
men and women who did not have any place to go on Thanksgiving, and sent
many housebound brothers and sisters meals on wheels at the beginning
of the AIDS crisis. Single handedly Vickie and the Forum became the
forerunner of “Meals On Wheels.” In 1984, in honor of Vickie, Arnie
Pegish established the Vickie Cup Award given to a woman in the
community who has given outstanding service, whether paid or
volunteered, to the general community including the gay and lesbian
community.
In 1989 because of urban renewal, the Bachelor Forum moved to its
current location at 670 University Ave, in the heart of Art Walk. The
Forum permitted Art Walk Rochester’s urban art trail to erect the
sculpture Three Pride Symbols outside its door in honor of the LGBT
community’s history.
Over the years the Bachelor Forum has undergone many changes. Arnie’s
motorcycle no longer hangs in the Forum. The RAMS still call the
Bachelor Forum home, and meet there monthly. Leather night and bar night
are regular occurrences at the Forum. The RAMS continue the Forum
tradition of doing a pumpkin run in October to bring pumpkins to
shelters and children in the community to help celebrate Halloween, and
they stage a toy drive each December. These events reveal the true
nature of the RAMS brotherhood.
Arnie Pegish died in July 2007. Almost exactly one year later, the
executors of the estates of Richard Towner and Arnold Pegish agreed to
sell Peter Mohr The Bachelor Forum, Inc. Peter had always wanted to own a
bar, and Arnie Pegish wanted Peter to own the Forum when he died. In
August 2008 Peter became the new owner of the Bachelor Forum.
At that time, John Dash, executor of Arnie’s estate, said, “From the
day of Arnie’s death last July to today, Peter has done a remarkable job
not only maintaining the bar, but growing it. I owe him a great debt of
gratitude and am happy that he will be the one to carry the Bachelor
Forum into the future.”
Since taking ownership of the Bachelor Forum, Peter has renovated the
bathrooms, updated computer access, upgraded the televisions, and most
recently has given the Forum a complete facelift externally and
internally, with tall windows opening up the interior to sunlight.
Peter’s finger is on the pulse of the community, and the Forum will
continue to respond to meet the expectations and needs of its customers.
Peter wants to continue the legacy of Arnie Pegish and Richard Towner
to the Rochester community. Donna Ventura, president of the neighboring
ArtWalk Tile & Flooring, said, “Peter Mohr’s loyal friendship to
Arnie Pegish and dedication to the business, The Bachelor Forum, are to
be commended. He is truly an asset to the community as a business
entrepreneur.”
The Forum is a bar that welcomes diversity, contributes to the
economy of Rochester, and continuously supports the gay community’s
fight for equal rights.
“Hello Darling, how are you?” is Peter’s greeting to the Bachelor
Forum’s customers, who are more than just faces in a crowd. Peter takes
an interest in people, and wants his customers to feel comfortable and
at “home” when they walk through the door. The Bachelor Forum is a
unique kind of place — a sort of neighborhood bar where everyone’s a
friend, even if they’ve never seen each other before. There’s a devoted
crowd of regulars who love having a good time and help others to have a
good time, too. So drop in and introduce yourself.
There are many Shoulders that make the Bachelor Forum a unique kind
of place — a sort of neighborhood bar where “everyone knows your name”.
Shoulders To Stand On is proud to recognize the Bachelor Forum’s 40
years of being a friendly, no-attitude bar and gathering place for the
area’s leather/levi and bear communities. Shoulders To Stand On proudly
celebrates one of the Rochester LGBT community’s oldest beacons of
support, vision and activism – The Bachelor Forum!