Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 31, 1993                   TAG: 9308310245
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MEALS ON WHEELS TRIES PUTTIN' ON THE DOG

As Taylor sat waiting for Meals on Wheels to deliver her lunch, she'd seen the strangest thing. An orange wiener in a bun - 10 feet high, 23 feet long, 8 feet wide - driving down the street playing music. It had made her crave a hot dog.

There it was again. This time, it stopped right in front of her door in the Lansdowne housing development. She watched as several people left the hot dog to bring her her hot meal.

"Well, I never," Taylor exclaimed, her face breaking into a broad grin.

Neither did most people, judging from their reactions Monday as the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile wheeled its way through Roanoke, delivering meals, miniature Wienermobile whistles and goodwill.

Necks craned, kids cavorted, even the employees at Service America Corp. - who you'd think had seen it all in food - came out to get a better look at the big weenie on wheels when it pulled into the company's lot to load up on more meals.

"The double takes and smiles are part of the reason I really relish this job," quipped "hotdogger" Lynda Ragsdale. She's one of 12 recent college graduates serving one-year internships for Oscar Mayer, driving the company's six Wienermobiles and serving as goodwill ambassadors.

Ragsdale said the first hot dog on wheels was built in 1936 to transport "Little Oscar," the world's smallest chef, to supermarkets, fairs and festivals, where he performed talent shows, magic tricks and gave out product samples. Over the years, "Little Oscar," his mission and the wienermobile underwent several evolutions.

Now, the mobile is a converted van with a V-6 engine that does up to 65 mph on the highway and spouts 21 versions of the Oscar Mayer jingle, ranging from classical to rap and Zydeco. Oscar has been replaced by the hotdoggers, who in addition to the fairs/market circuits, work with charitable organizations to raise money and awareness for their programs.

Working with senior citizens is Ragsdale's special interest, she said. The Oscar Mayer Foods Corp. sanctioned her using the wienermobile to deliver the Meals on Wheels as a goodwill project. Ragsdale's partner, Shannon Valrie, is interested in Head Start and children's programs. She was absent Monday, but plans to do something for children before the mobile leaves Virginia in September.

During the next few days, the wienermobile will be at a food products show in Salem, then on to Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Harrisonburg, Richmond and Norfolk.

Mary Chambers, who has been with Meals on Wheels since 1975, explained that the League of Older Americans Area Agency on Aging program delivers more than 400 hot meals each weekday to homebound people who aren't able to cook their own food and don't have anyone around to prepare it for them.

Additionally, Chambers said, the deliveries provide a little social interaction and in a few instances have even averted disaster when a recipient has been found ill.

Recipient Margaret Short was speechless at first when the big orange wiener pulled up in front of her home. She said she was sure when she ate her lunch a little later in the day, she'd remember the big hot dog in which it arrived.

Recipient Taylor said she actually prefers hot dogs to steak. Wistfully eyeing the giant wiener at the curb, she said, "I could slice that down and make it last a good long time. Or maybe load it up with wieners and cold beer and take it on a picnic."

When Ragsdale and Chambers told her that by sheer coincidence the day's meal included baked beans, peas and carrots, gelatin with fruit, milk and a hot dog with bun, Taylor grinned even more.

"Good, cause that thing's given me a real taste for a hot dog," she said.