SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                        Washington, D.C.  20549

                               FORM 8-K

                            CURRENT REPORT

                 Pursuant to Section 13 or 15d of the

                  Securities and Exchange Act of 1934


                      ---------------------------

                   Date of Report (Date of earliest
                     event reported) July 6, 1998



                            WLR Foods, Inc.
        (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

         Virginia            0-17060              54-1295923
        (State of        (Commission File     (IRS Employer Iden-
      Incorporation)         Number)            tification No.)


                P.O. Box 7000                        22815
              Broadway, Virginia                  (Zip Code)
   (Address of Principal executive offices)


                            (540) 896-7001
                    (Registrant's telephone number,
                         including area code)



Item 5.   Other Events


On July 6, 1998, WLR Foods, Inc. issued the following press release.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                   Contact:  Kathleen W. Lawrence
                                             Director of Corporate
                                             Communication
                                             540-896-0406 

 
Broadway, Virginia, July 6, 1998 - WLR Foods, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: WLRF)
President and Chief Executive Officer, James L. Keeler, today
announced that Neil D. Showalter will succeed Robert T. Ritter as the
company's Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Showalter currently serves as Vice President of Finance for WLR
Foods, a position he has held since November, 1997. Prior to becoming
Vice President of Finance, Mr. Showalter was President of WLR's
subsidiary, Cassco Ice & Cold Storage, Inc. (1996 -1997) where he had
also served as Vice President (1994 - 1996) and as General Manager of
Administration (1989 - 1994). Before joining Cassco, Mr. Showalter
practiced for 10 years as a CPA with McGladrey & Pullen.

"Neil Showalter has been a valuable and respected member of our
management team for several years and I am delighted that he has
agreed to step up to this new responsibility," said Mr. Keeler. "His
strong educational background and his extensive experience not only in
the financial area, but in our company operations will be a tremendous
benefit to us at this time."

A summa cum laude graduate of James Madison University in
Harrisonburg, Virginia, with a bachelor of business administration
degree in accounting and economics and a master of business
administration degree, Mr. Showalter served as President of the
Accounting Honor Society and President of the Economics Honor Society
and was a member of the University Honor Council. He is a member of
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the
Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and serves as
Chairman of the Finance and Administration Committee of the
International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses.

"Bob Ritter has done a great job for WLR Foods," said Mr. Keeler. "He
has skillfully and successfully steered our financial activities
through some very difficult times for our company and our industry. We
thank him for a job well done and wish him well as he accepts a new
challenge in a much larger company."

WLR Foods is a fully integrated provider of high quality turkey and
chicken products primarily under the Wampler Foods(R) brand and retail
ice under the Cassco(R) label. It is nationally ranked as the seventh
largest poultry processor by sales volume and is an international
leader in poultry exports. WLR Foods has processing operations in
Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
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                                SIGNATURE

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                              WLR Foods, Inc.


                              By:__/s/ Neil D. Showalter__
                                   Neil D. Showalter
                                   Chief Financial Officer
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