Wienermobile a hit in Morrison despite no whistles

MORRISON – The Sullivan’s Foods’ parking lot was abuzz Sept. 6 when the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile cruised into town for a three-hour visit, but anyone wanting an iconic wiener whistle was left whistling in the wind.

Oscar Mayer’s yellow and orange fiberglass hot dog car delighted young and old fans while raising funds for a local food pantry.

“Sizzlin’ Stephen,” aka Stephen Harrison, and “Sarah Kraut,” aka Sarah Oney, were the official “Hot Doggers” – the drivers behind the wheel of the car that has been touring through Whiteside, Stephenson, Winnebago and Carroll counties.

“We, unfortunately, ran out of wiener whistles yesterday,” Harrison said. “We had very large crowds in Freeport and Winnebago and we ran out. We asked them to overnight us more whistles, but they won’t arrive until Saturday.”

That didn’t matter to the kids and adults who lined up for a $1 hot dog – provided by Sullivan’s – after peering into the windows of the 14,000-pound Wienermobile.

“I actually saw it when I was a child,” said Julie Allen of Morrison, who brought Maverick Janssen, 4, to the event.

Even local dogs and one cat dropped in. Robert Graham brought pups Ashes and Penny in their hot dog costumes while Jacqualynn, 7, represented the feline factor with her calico kitten PJ, who also was sporting a teeny hot dog costume.

“We dragged PJ here against her will,” Robert joked.

Northside Elementary kindergartners were in attendance with 23 of Ann Brackemyer’s class lining up for a photo.

“It’s bigger than we thought,” one student said.

“One of them asked, ‘Can we eat it?’ ” Brackmeyer said.

Other groups stopping by included the Bi-County Special Education Co-Op K-2 Lifeskills Program.

Sullivan’s manager Vinny Polise was busy with his staff bringing the grilled hot dogs to the tent near the Wienermobile.

“We started with 300 and those are already gone,” Polise said around noon. “Our other Sullivan stores said they went through 600 to 800 and I think we might match that, too.”

Proceeds benefitted the local food pantry.

About the Wienermobile

The first Wienermobile was created by Oscar Mayer’s nephew, Carl G. Mayer, in 1936. It has been retooled a few times since then.

Harrison and Oney finished their driver training in Madison, Wisconsin (Hot Dog High), in June and began driving their 11-foot (24 hot dogs) high vehicle shortly after training.

Drivers have to go through 40 hours of driving time on a closed course to learn how to properly navigate the 14,050-pound (140,500 hot dogs) behemoth.

There are six Weinermobiles traveling across the U.S. this year.

Wienermobile Facts

Height: 11 feet – 24 hot dogs high.

Length: 27 feet – 60 hot dogs long.

Width: 8 feet – 18 hot dogs wide.

Weight: 14,050 pounds – 140,500 hot dogs.

The meat: Grilled fiberglass hot dog resting on a slightly toasted fiberglass bun fueled by a 6-liter V8 300 Vortec engine that runs on “high-octane mustard.”

The condiments: Gull-wing doors with a retractable step; hot dog-shaped dashboard; ketchup walkway; condiment-splattered carpet; removable bun roof; blue-sky ceiling art; six mustard- and ketchup-colored seats; smiling front grill; and, of course, an “Official Wiener Jingle” horn.

Fans can track the Wienermobile’s location using the Wienermobile Meat Fleet tracker on the company’s website. For more information, visit oscarmayer.com.