Steinbach’s only hot dog stand has quickly become a Hallmark celebrity.

Though Ruth Bauer has operated her retro automobile-style “Car-B-Que” for 11 years now, she says getting a call from the Hallmark film industry was a first for her.

Bauer's Car-B-Que has been used in three films in the past two months.

“Honestly, I listened to the message twice cause I wasn’t sure I was hearing it right,” she comments, “they wanted to use it in the filming of a movie, and they wanted to rent it for a week!”

Bauer granted Hallmark permission to use the Car-B-Que for a Christmas movie they were filming in early June but says that was just the start of her unusual summer.

“Since then, we’ve had two more calls for it to be in two more movies,” she laughs, “so all of a sudden we’re in three Hallmark movies!”

Of these films, Bauer says two are Christmas-themed titled “Two Doves” and “The Christmas Club” meanwhile the other is a western that will likely be called “Love On The Ranch”. In all three movies, the producers liked the warmth and character the Car-B-Que brought to the set.

While she herself was unable to have a cameo in any of these films, Bauer says she did get to keep the various kinds of signage that decorated her vehicle throughout the shoots.

Bauer says her little hot dog stand seems to be only one of many local items and venues that have been used by film crews lately. She is glad southeastern Manitoba is being recognized in this way and feels it gives a good sense of pride to the community.

“I think it’s great that the whole southeast is being used in some of these movies,” she offers, “it’s going to make it fun for the people in this area to watch them.”

In one scene, Bauer says her stand was transformed into a pecan roaster (Photo credit: Ruth Bauer).