“Take a bite out of sweet ecstasy.”
Before you go getting any ideas, the sweet ecstasy we’re talking about involves candy apples. “Take a bite” is the tag line QVC uses to market Mrs. Prindable’s gourmet goodies.
The Mrs. Prindable’s brand is a national sensation, but Mrs. Prindable herself is a local homemaker, the alter ego of Carrie Wedo of Greenville.
Wedo won the role of Mrs. Prindable in 2000. QVC staffers invited her to audition after she was edged out for the coveted job of QVC show host.
Affy Tapple, the company that owns the brand, was looking for a “Mrs. Fields-like type,” Wedo says. She beat out 15 others.
“As it turns out, I really wasn’t ready to take on the hosting job anyway,” says Wedo. “We had two small boys at the time, and the Prindable job was perfect.”
Everything Wedo says on QVC is live. There are no scripts. “The best part of the job is meeting viewers,” Wedo says. “When we do shoots on location, people actually ask for my autograph.” She signs them as Mrs. Prindable.
In addition to giant apples, Affy Tapple does caramel corn, chocolate clusters, chocolate-covered pretzels and gift baskets. The products are sold in upscale department stores, but the best deals are offered at QVC. “When you go to Saks,” says Wedo, “you’ll spend about $25 for one apple.”
Wedo will appear on QVC again in September. (Affy Tapple doesn’t ship chocolate products in the summer.)
One look at Wedo and it’s hard to imagine her indulging in the treats she sells. She claims she does. “And they are truly decadent and delicious.” —Maria Hess
Page 2: A Head Giveaway
A Head Giveaway
First came Cal, Celery and Jacoby.
Now Joe gets the nod.
The Blue Rocks are honoring vice president Joe Biden on July 30 by giving Biden bobbleheads to the first 1,000 fans through the gates that night.
The statuettes are always hot commodities, but the Rocks expect fans to gobble these bobbles quickly. “Don’t come late that day,” warns Kevin Linton, director of promotions. “We open the gates at 6 o’clock. They should go in the first 10 minutes.”
One of the most popular bobbleheads given out at Frawley Stadium was during an appearance by Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. Bobbling versions of Rocks mascots Mr. Celery and Rubble were also big hits. Former players so honored include Carlos Beltran, Mike Sweeney, Jon Leiber and Jacoby Ellsbury.Biden is likely the first politician.
While there will be 1,000 mini-Joes in the park that night, it’s unknown whether the real-life bobbler will show.
“He’s been invited, but we have no idea whether he will attend or not,” Linton says. “He came to a game last year on his own. Of course, security is a lot different this year.” —Drew Ostroski
Page 3: Super Youth | This Wilmington teen overcame the hard knocks with help from the Boys & Grils Club.
Super Youth
This Wilmington teen overcame the hard knocks with help from the Boys & Girls Club.
Anisha Simpson first entered the Clarence Fraim Boys & Girls Club in Wilmington at age 7. The club has since helped the remarkable young lady cope with her challenging past and improve her future.
Simpson has experienced some very tough times, including her parents’ divorce, a two-month hospital stay due to esophagitis and stomach ulcers, and becoming estranged from her mother. She says she looked to the club when things turned bad and it was like family, helping her to become the adult she was forced to be at 17.
Simpson has received recognition and prizes since she was named the club’s 2009 Youth Leader of the Year for Delaware, but it’s the chance to extend her education that most excites her.
“The scholarships I won will actually pay for a whole semester of college,” says Simpson, a senior at James H. Groves Adult High School. She plans on attending Delaware State University in the fall.
Simpson will represent Delaware this month at a regional youth leader competition in New York City. The winner will go to the national competition in Washington, D.C.
Along with $3,000 in scholarships for winning at the state level, Simpson has experienced such perks as meeting former American Idol Ruben Studdard and Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino. “I feel like a celebrity,” she says. “I’m being recognized for my hardships.”
Simpson has served as president of Clarence Fraim’s Keystone Club leadership program for teens, founded the Teen Action Committee and tutored younger members. LaMar Roane, the club’s teen services director, urged Simpson to apply for youth leader.
“She was dealt a bad hand, and she’s managed to conquer all of those obstacles,” Roane says. “I knew it would only be a small task for her to go in and win this.” — Erica Florentine
Page 4: Biden Time | A monthly review of the veep.
Biden Time
A monthly review of the veep.
According to some reports, Joe allegedly revealed former veep Dick Cheney’s secret hiding place at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Maybe if we press him, Joe will spill the recipe for Walt’s Flavor Crisp Chicken.
Joe told an elementary school class in Syracuse that his dog, Champ, is smarter than the Obamas’ dog, Bo. We know. We know. Who cares?
So Joe and his boss created a buzz when they stopped for lunch at a burger joint down the street from the White House. Reports say Joe had a Swiss cheese burger with jalapeños. Another who cares? Would you rather we recap the veep’s recent trip to Kosovo?
Page 6: 50 Bottles of Beer on the Wall | A Dewey Beach icon celebrates a special birthday.
50 Bottles of Beer on the Wall
A Dewey Beach icon celebrates a special birthday.
The Starboard, the famous, shark-emblazoned Dewey Beach bar where Bloody Mary is still queen, turns 50 this year. To loyal fans, that means one big party this summer. Then again, that describes every summer at the Starboard.
“Our customers feel like this place is their home,” says owner Steve Montgomery. “If there’s a concert at another bar, they go to the Starboard first, then the show, then back to the Starboard.” About 30 Dewey group houses use the Starboard logo as their official house emblem and the bar as their official house hangout.
Why so popular? Versatility. There’s breakfast to start. (The place serves 1,000 a day.) In the afternoon, the deck opens for live entertainment and lunch. By 8 p.m. there’s a line of eager misbehavers outside the door. “And there’s never a cover charge,” Montgomery says. “That might not sound like a big deal to some, but in this town, something like that builds loyalty.”
Folks are indeed loyal. Some regulars are near retirement age. Montgomery meets people in their 50s who still rave about Suicide Sundays, a weekly celebration that begins at the famous make-your-own Bloody Mary bar and ends with a sick call to the office on Monday.
People of all ages go to the Starboard to forget their real lives and go a little bonkers. Take the Starboard’s annual Running of the Bull, a fundraiser that features a few thousand revelers “running” from two guys in a bull costume. Pamplona it ain’t, but the event has evolved to include a mock bullfight with mock protesters who decry (mockingly) the abuse of costumed men.
“Running of the Bull is the single biggest event of the year,” Montgomery says. “It’s silliness at its best.”
Not bad for a spot that began life as a dusty piano bar. The party has grown ever since. The Running of the Bull happens July 11. The official black tie-red carpet birthday celebration will commence October 3. Cheers —Matt Amis