B3
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
Wienermobile visits last Blockbuster Mother-in-law kept out
By KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
Two cultural icons converged in
Bend on Saturday when the Oscar
Mayer Wienermobile parked in
front of the last Blockbuster video
rental store on Earth. The Wiener-
mobile, the rolling orange and yel-
low symbol of Oscar Mayer hot
dogs, pulled into the Blockbuster
parking lot off Third Street to a
crowd of about two dozen people
taking pictures and singing, “I wish
I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner.”
Some people were busy pick-
ing out movies inside the Block-
buster and were startled when the
27-foot-long hot dog on wheels
parked outside.
“I saw it pull up through the
window, and I just started yelling
and ran to the window,” said Esty
Pittman, who was visiting from
Salt Lake City with her boyfriend,
Jacob VanOteghem.
Pittman, 31 and VanOteghem,
30, stopped Saturday to visit the
Blockbuster and had no idea the
Wienermobile was scheduled to
visit.
It was a fl ashback to childhood
for Pittman, who remembers sing-
ing the Oscar Mayer song in the
grocery store with her mother and
looking for the Wienermobile on
road trips with her family.
“My mom used to push me
around the grocery store, and I
would sing the Oscar Mayer song,”
Pittman said. “This is my ’90s
dream come true.”
Blockbuster was the third out
of four stops in central Oregon for
the Wienermobile. Last week, the
traveling hot dog made an appear-
ance at Fort Rock Park in Sunriver,
in downtown Bend and was set to
travel south again to the Village at
Sunriver on Sunday.
The Wienermobile has been on
the road since 1936. Today, six
Wienermobiles travel around the
country at all times.
MORE
THAN
YOU
IMAGINED
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
Ruby and Brewer Mottern with their dogs ‘Griz,’ behind cutout, and ‘Luna,’ as
their mother, Jody Mottern, takes their picture while visiting the Oscar Mayer
Wienermobile at Blockbuster in Bend.
The Wienermobile that came to
Bend travels the West Coast and
averages about 500 miles per week,
said Tommy Derken, a “Hotdog-
ger” who drives the Wienermobile.
Derken graduated from the Uni-
versity of Southern California in
May and hit the road in the Wie-
nermobile in June.
Driving the Wienermobile is
the perfect job for a recent college
graduate, since it’s good public
relations and marketing experience
and a good way to see the country,
Derken said.
“And you are a celebrity every-
where you go,” Derken said.
Derken and another Hotdog-
ger, Nina LeBrun, spent Saturday
handing out stickers and Wiener-
mobile whistles to the crowd. The
two Hotdoggers also took families’
pictures, signed autographs and
helped children pose behind card-
board cutouts of hot dogs.
No food was served during the
event, which is a common miscon-
ception, Derken said.
“We don’t sell hot dogs,” Der-
ken said. “We just look like one.”
3D Theater
Lightship Tour
Gift Store
Bend resident Helen Guer-
rero-Randall came early Satur-
day and could not contain her
excitement as she watched the
Wienermobile park in front of
Blockbuster.
Guerrero-Randall, a retired
medical librarian for St. Charles
Health System, always loved
the old advertisements for Oscar
Mayer on TV, but never had a
chance to see the Wienermobile in
person.
“I didn’t know they still had this
going around,” she said. “They are
actually still doing promotions.
I’m thrilled.”
Guerrero-Randall enthusiasti-
cally sang the entire Oscar Mayer
song, took a picture with the card-
board cut out and got Derken’s
autograph.
She soaked in the nostalgia of
Oscar Mayer and Blockbuster,
where she still has her membership
card to rent movies.
“It’s nostalgic in a really good
way,” Guerrero-Randall said. “It’s
that positive nostalgia. The endor-
phins are fl owing.”
Dear Annie: My daughter- to be caused by her issues, not
in-law could probably have writ- yours. But keep trying. Her par-
ten the letter about the person ents’ kindness is reason for hope.
Dear Annie: My brother
trying too hard to please their
lives next door to my par-
disapproving mother-in-law.
The reality is that there are ents and me and is driving me
always two sides to every story. crazy. He refuses to get vacci-
Mine is that at some point, I did nated despite my parents being
or said something to hurt my in their 60s, and we have an
daughter-in-law. But I am not immune-compromised family.
allowed to know what that was. He lives with a pregnant nurse,
So, any apology seems empty, and she refuses to wear a mask
or get vaccinated.
although I have tried.
They still come into our home
She now treats our entire
family with complete apathy. We and to small family events, and
try. We send cards and acknowl- they don’t follow requests to
edge birthdays, anniversaries mask up properly or socially
and holidays, despite having distance. They also recently
came over to our home
received no reciproca-
DEAR
and tried to diagnose my
tion for years. We off er
ANNIE
nephew with autism. He
to visit cross-country but
sees a team of profes-
are told it is a bad time.
sionals, including doc-
We off er to video chat
tors, who have all stated
but are often rejected.
that he is not autistic.
Our son does contact us
I tell my parents this
with the grandchildren
is unacceptable behav-
on occasion.
We would love to be ANNIE LANE ior that crosses the line.
Creators
Unfortunately, they do
a part of our grandkids’
Syndicate Inc.
not agree with me, and
lives, but rejection gets
it’s causing confl ict. I
harder and harder with
time. We are blocked from Face- understand that I cannot con-
book posts and are not allowed trol my brother’s actions, and I
to know our granddaughter’s have voiced my concerns about
cell number. It is all very sad our safety to him directly, but he
brushes me off . What else can
indeed.
Our daughter-in-law is loved I do? — Living Next Door to
and cared for, but her perception Peter Pan
Dear Living Next Door to
is that she is not. Please encour-
age others to forgive and recon- Peter Pan: It sounds like your
cile. Life is too short to allow parents side more with your
bitterness to fester and relation- brother, though I’m not sure
why they would. Start by iron-
ships to be destroyed.
A bright note is that our son’s ing out the rules of the house
in-laws treat us with love and and letting them be known to all,
respect, and they are thankful including your parents. If you
that they have us in their lives. want guests — including family
— to wear masks and socially
— Two Sides to Every Story
Dear Two Sides to Every distance, then they must wear
Story: Thank you for this dif- masks and socially distance. As
ferent perspective. Forgiveness far as your brother attempting
is a gift for you to give yourself to diagnose your son, tell him to
as well as your daughter-in-law. MYOB and that you are relying
The problem with her seems on professionals.
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