Hot Dog Gum memories...
When I was a teenager, one of my best friends was a "jock" in school. One of those rounded athletes that excelled at all sports. I wasn't a nerd but more of the creative type, taking music and drama classes that interested me much more than sports. But the one thing that my friend and I had in common was a love for Hot Dog Bubble Gum! Naturally, he instigated a regular contest after school between he and I in shooting baskets from half court and the prize would be one pack of Hot Bubble Gum for the best out of twenty five shots. Of course, he knew that, in me, he would have an endless supply to chew and I knew it too and I never tired of trying to beat him but I never did. But he was my good friend and he always shared his 'bounty" with me. Over the years, it became increasingly difficult to find any of our favorite gum (Fan Tan was a close second) and after I was married, my wife and I were on a road trip to Las Vegas to recelebrate our honeymoon there. We stopped in Baker, California to gas up and when I went in to pay for the gas, lo and behold, there was a box of Hot Dog Bubble Gum right there on the counter! I bought the guy out and when I got back to the car, I told my wife that we hit the jackpot already and proceeded to recount the days of my basket shooting youth to her, all the way into Las Vegas. She loved it too and still says it's the best bubble gum she has ever had! We recently had our 40th High School Reunion and fortunately, my friend attended also. When we I ran into him in the hotel bar, that was the first thing that came up. "Wanna shoot some baskets for some Hot Dogs"? ~ Dan from California When I was a child we would travel from our home in Indianapolis to visit "Uncle Glen" and his family in Milwaukee. No visit was complete without a trip to the "popcorn wagon." We would all be given a dollar and told to buy whatever candy we wanted from the vast selection of penny candies. This was in the '60's so that dollar went a long way to buy a bag bulging with candy. No bag was complete without Hot Dog Gum. My sister and brother and I would savor our Hot Dog Gum and eat it last. In all the years that I have been alive, this website is the first time I have seen Hot Dog Gum. The "Uncle Glen" is gone, Popcorn Wagon is history, I have grown kids of my own, but my childhood lives on now that I have found a source for Hot Dog Gum! ~ Cindy from Indiana |
