'Every day is a parade': I went aboard the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in Cincinnati

Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read

The famed Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was in Cincinnati briefly on Thursday, and I, volunteered by my Enquirer coworkers, got to take a ride.

I didn't know what to expect as I climbed aboard the 27-foot-long hot dog-shaped bus parked in the Oakley Kroger parking lot, but I can summarize the experience in one word: magical.

The roomy interior of the novelty vehicle is all red and yellow, and carpeted with a pattern that brings back memories of retro bowling alleys. My stewards for the afternoon, Hotdoggers "Ketchup" Kaitlyn Bross and Benny "Buns" Godfrey, took me on a drive through Oakley. As the two cracked jokes and made puns (or should I say buns) and pedestrians waved and cars honked excitedly, it was easy to see why they described this as a dream job.

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"No matter where we are, everyone is always smiling and waving," Bross said. "We get to bring so much joy into people's lives. Every day is a parade."

Both Bross and Godfrey completed a competitive two-week training course at Hot Dog High in Madison, Wisconsin, before embarking on their year-long Wienermobile road trip. They're a part of the Midwest team, one of six Wienermobiles currently traversing the U.S.

"I always wanted to be a Hotdogger because 32 years ago my uncle had the same job, and I heard stories about what life was like on the road, and I knew this was the job for me," Godfrey, a recent University of Dayton graduate, said.

After a 15-minute tour through Oakley, my trip in the Wienermobile was at an end. Bross and Godfrey were sure to send me off with my very own Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistle and an impromptu serenade of the hot dog chain's infectiously catchy theme song.

When the Wienermobile returns to the Queen City for tours and rides, I'll be first in line.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Every day is a parade': I took a ride on the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile