Locals stock up on Twinkies, Ho Ho's

Hostess bakery on Lamoreaux very busy

For years, the saying went that at the end of the world, the only thing left would be cockroaches and Twinkies. The Twinkies may survive, but their maker, Hostess, folded on Friday.

Mascot Twinkie the Kid, a cuddly cream-filled cowboy, rode his sponge cake physique into the hearts and arteries of millions Americans for generations.

"You get a big delight in every bite of Hostess Twinkies," commercials promised.

For 82 years, Twinkies and the host of other Hostess products survived: They made it through the Great Depression and World War II. But with the Friday announcement that Hostess is going out of business, the services of Twinkie the Kid and almost 19,000 employees are no longer needed.

Hostess lovers knew they needed to act fast. By Friday, the Hostess Thrift Store on Lamoreaux Drive NW in Alpine Township was already out of Twinkies.

The corporation did not return calls made by 24 Hour News 8 Friday and it isn't answering employees' questions, either.

One outlet employee said she's worked at the store for 18 years and hasn't heard for sure if she still has a job or not. She and the other employees at the 30-year-old Hostess bakery outlet have no answers yet on when their last day may be, or if or when they'll be paid.

There will be no more deliveries to the outlet, which will stay open until the current stock was gone.

And that may not be long: Customers Friday cleaned out the Ho Ho's, Zingers and Suzy Q's off the shelves.

It's possible another manufacturer could take over the Hostess line of products, a line that has an 82-year brand loyalty.

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