Pork Chop Man had Slight Stroke

Wed February 27 2002
Posted Feb 27, 2002
1,354

SEND HIM A GET WELL CARD ! Paul Bernhard aka Pork Chop Man 305 S Portland BANCROFT IA, 50517

The growling "Mr. Pork Chop" of 18 RAGBRAIs is a tad subdued these days. Paul Bernhard suffered a stroke two weeks ago; doctors found an unrelated heart problem, and he is recovering in a Mason City hospital. Bernhard, 73, of Bancroft, known by thousands of RAGBRAI riders for his traveling no-frills pork chop stand, entered North Iowa Medical Center on Feb. 13. "I had a slight stroke," he said. They checked him out in Algona, gave him a shot, then life-flighted him to Mason City where a problem with his heart was discovered. "They put a pacemaker in," he said. "I've got to take it easy until it's glued in good." Bernhard said he has a blind spot in his vision but plans to be back in shape to peddle his pork chops during this year's ride. Adversity is nothing new to Bernhard, a former state president of the Iowa Pork Producers as well as former mayor of Bancroft, who started his famous pork chop growl nearly two decades ago in Mason City. During the 1998 RAGBRAI, his pink 1978 school bus with the front painted as a pig's face was totaled in an accident near Kingsley. Two days later he was growling again as he set up shop in two vans outside Gowrie. His signal cry, "pork chaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhp," has been music to hungry RAGBRAI riders' ears for years. Sometimes he parks early along the route, and the 11/2-inch chops are ready at 8 a.m. His record is 2,500 chops at 6 bucks apiece sold in a single day back in 1996. By BOB MODERSOHN Register Staff Writer 02/27/2002