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Oscar Mayer Wienermobile to make stops in Princeton, Mendota

Iconic hot dog on wheels to drop by Sept. 7 at Sullivan Foods

By Brandon Clark
Tasha Anderson of Rock Falls gets an eyeful of the Oscar Mayer Frankmobile Friday, June 30, 2023 as it makes a stop in Rock Falls.

Tasha Anderson of Rock Falls gets a look of the Oscar Mayer Frankmobile in 2023 as it makes a stop in Rock Falls. The iconic hot dog on wheels will travel around northern Illinois from Sept. 5-8, making stops at Sullivan’s grocery stores in Freeport, Winnebago, Morrison, Savanna, Mendota, Princeton, Stockton and Lena. (Alex T. Paschal - apaschal@shawmedia.com/credit)

Grab your hot dog buns and break out your Wiener Whistles, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is coming to the Bureau and La Salle counties.

The iconic hot dog on wheels will travel around northern Illinois from Sept. 5-8, making stops at Sullivan’s grocery stores in Freeport, Winnebago, Morrison, Savanna, Mendota, Princeton, Stockton and Lena.

History on wheels

The original 13-foot hot dog car was created by Carl Mayer, nephew of the company’s founder, Oscar Mayer. The design featured open cockpits in the front and rear of the vehicle and was commonly seen cruising the streets of Chicago. Several new designs for the car were made before the company retired the vehicles from service in 1977 to focus on television advertising.

The Wienermobile was resurrected in 1986 for a 50th anniversary celebration. Several new versions were introduced afterward, including the Mini Wienermobile, the Wienermobile food truck and a full-sized recreational vehicle called the Wienie-Bago. In 2017, the company added the WienerDrone for remote location delivery and the WienerCycle, a three-wheeled moped for urban deliveries.

Hotdoggers

Drivers of the Wienermobile are officially known as hotdoggers. The company hires 12 full-time drivers for one year to drive around the country spreading smiles, connecting with customers and working at marketing events. According to parent company Kraft Heinz, hotdoggers travel an average of 20,000 miles yearly while visiting at least 40 cities and attending more than 1,200 events. Oney and her driving partner, Sizzlin’ Stephen Harrison, are part of the 37th class of hotdoggers and have been on the road for a few months.

“This is my dream job,” driver Sarah Oney said. “The whole point is to bring sparkles and smiles everywhere we go. It’s awesome to see people’s faces light up when the Wienermobile pulls in.”

Where to see the Wienermobile

  • Saturday, Sept. 7: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 1102 Meriden St. in Mendota.
  • Saturday, Sept. 7: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 125 Backbone Road East in Princeton.

Find that frank

Fans can track the Wienermobile’s location using the Wienermobile Meat Fleet tracker on the company’s website. Visit oscarmayer.com for information.

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