The right fixings

By TOM LAVIS
The Tribune-Democrat

November 07, 2005 07:24 am

— Pauline Langerholc felt like a queen as she rode in the conspicuous Wienermobile to her grandson’s wedding.
The 83-year-old resident of Arbutus Park Retirement Community was transported from
a Williamsburg, Va., hotel to the ceremony in the gigantic hot-dog-in-a-bun vehicle, which has been a symbol of Oscar Mayer frankfurters for
70 years.
Passing motorists honked their horns and pedestrians waved as Langerholc’s special chariot made its way to the Williamsburg Winery, where her grandson, Brian Schmidt, 33, and Mary Ann Becker, 34, of Chesterfield, Va., were married on Oct. 14.
Langerholc received the majestic treatment because her grandson’s then-fiancee won a prize in Oscar Mayer’s “Win the Ride of Your Life” Contest.”
“Everyone treated me like royalty,” said Langerholc, who uses a wheelchair and said she otherwise would have been unable to attend the wedding.
It was the first time in two years that she was able to make such a lengthy trip away from the Richland Township retirement community.
“I have liked hot dogs all my life, but I really love them now,” Langerholc said.
The whole intent of entering the contest was to enable Langerholc to make the six-hour trip south, said Mary Ann Schmidt, who just returned from a honeymoon in Ireland.
In order to attend the wedding, Langerholc needed transportation and someone to accompany her. The couple, who plan to relocate to Johnstown, realized it wasn’t feasible for Langerholc to make the trip without support.
“We spoke with Brian’s gram on several occasions and figured she would just not attend,” Mary Ann said. “We planned on taking lots of pictures of the wedding for her to see.”
The bride-to-be got together with a co-worker after hearing about the contest on the radio. The pair collaborated on the entry in hopes of giving Brian an unforgettable surprise.
“We came up with the idea only two days before the entry was due,” Mary Ann said. “I even had to send it overnight to make sure it arrived by the deadline on July 28.”
She finally told her fiancé about the contest in early September, when she figured she hadn’t won.
“Nevertheless, I wanted to let him know I tried to get his beloved grandmother – the only grandparent he has left – to come down as a surprise,” Mary Ann said.
But she is the one who got the surprise on Sept. 15, when she was notified that her submission was one of 20 winners selected from more than 75,000 entries.
“I called Pauline a few days later to let her know about me winning the contest and asked if she would be willing to come to the wedding,” Mary Ann said. “She thought I was joking around with her.”
The Schmidts worked with Oscar Mayer representatives to arrange everything needed to get Langerholc to the wedding. All of the expenses were deducted from the prize, valued at $5,000.
The corporation arranged to picked up Langerholc and Pam Hartnett, an Arbutus employee who rode along to assist the octogenarian. They were given a big send-off from the Ottawa Street facility as they departed for Williamsburg in a chauffeured Mercedes.
Around 3:30 p.m. the Wienermobile, complete with a sign that read “Just Linked,” picked up Langerholc, Hartnett and the bride and groom for the trip to the wedding site.
“It was the ride of my life that I got to share with everyone at the wedding,” Langerholc said.
“It also gave me a chance to share a very important day with my family.”
Brian is the son of Linda Schmidt of North Carolina and Larry Schmidt of Philadelphia. Mary Ann is the daughter of Bill and Ruth Ann Becker of Altoona.
The winning entry was simple and to the point.
It was in the form of a wedding invitation that read in part: “Mary Ann Becker and Brian Schmidt request the presence of Pauline Langerholc and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile as we begin the ‘Ride of Our Lives.’ ”
As the Wienermobile pulled up at the hotel, a gull-wing door opened in the side of the giant hot dog and automatic retractable steps appeared.
“Two strong men from the bridal party lifted me and my wheelchair into the Wienermobile,” Langerholc said. “They secured my chair in the center aisle, and we were on our way.”
The interior has a mustard-splattered walkway, blue-sky ceiling art and six mustard- and ketchup-colored seats.
No ride would be complete without the official jingle (“Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener ...”) playing on a loud speaker.
“It attracted attention like kids to an ice-cream truck,” Langerholc said.
Alicia Jarvie, therapeutic activities director at Arbutus, said residents and staff were excited to learn about Langerholc’s trip.
“Two weeks before her trip, anytime Pauline would come in the dining room, folks would be singing the Oscar Mayer wiener song,” Jarvie said. “When Pauline came back, she gave out a lot of wiener whistles to friends and staff.”
Colleen Cone, senior account executive for Oscar Mayer, said Langerholc’s was the third of 20 prizes being awarded.
“There are six Wienermobiles on the nation’s highways at any one time,” Cone said. “Winners came from across the country as far west as Idaho.”
The Schmidts spent a portion of the $5,000 prize to pay for the car service, a driver to get Langerholc to Virginia and a companion.
While no hot dogs were served at the Schmidt wedding, Cone said some past winners chose to have a frankfurter picnic catered by Oscar Mayer.
There is no cooking in the Wienermobile.
Other 2005 winners include a veteran who wants to transport other vets to the Word War II Memorial in Washington.
“A girl with spina bifida wants to use the Wienermobile to help donate $5,000 worth of toys to a Shriners hospital,” Cone said.
The Wienermobile definitely is a hot dog with all the right fixings.
The 44 wedding guests relished the opportunity to ride in the Wienermobile.
“It left our guests a lot to smile about,” Mary Ann said.

Tom Lavis can be reached at 532-5054 or tlavis@tribdem.com.

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