Wienermobile makes local stop in cross-country tour

Hot dog, the wienermobile was in town on Saturday, to the delight of many customers who got a closeup look at it while it was parked near the entrance of Fry’s Marketplace on North John Wayne Parkway.

Jenna Barna, whose business card identifies her as a hotdogger, offered some visitors a tour of the motor vehicle inspired by the Kraft Foods Oscar Mayer wiener.

“Watch out for the mustard,” she told one guest, pointing out the squiggly yellow line centered on the red carpet covering the aisle between two front-to-rear rows of seats on either side of the bun.

Barna explained that she and her co-hotdogger have special mustard-proof shoes so they can walk around the vehicle without a worry. The two are based in Madison, Wisc., and plan to be in the Phoenix area most of this week, she said.

Meanwhile, the other hotdogger who initally identified himself simply as Matt, was outside showing videos of American Idol contestants to passersby, who then each had a chance to vote for their favorites. About 50 people did so.

“The people in Maricopa were very excited about it,” Matt Mitchell said.

Before leaving, Mitchell offered each guest an “I saw it” sticker with a cartoon image of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile on it, a tiny, red wienermobile whistle and a final wish for the road.

“Have a bunderful day,” he said.

For information on other events visit www.oscarmayer.com.

Photos by RuthAnn Hogue