STERLING – Grab your hot dog buns and break out your Wiener Whistles: The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is coming to the Sauk Valley next week.

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

Wienermobile driver Sarah Oney of Georgia said Sterling residents also will be able to catch a glimpse of the car.

“We’ll be around the Sterling area as we travel to and from nearby events,” Oney said. “We can’t wait to see all your smiling faces.”

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 TV 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,” 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

• Thursday, Sept. 5: From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 2002 W. Galena Ave., Freeport
• Thursday, Sept. 5: From 3 to 6 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 703 N. Elida St. in Winnebago
• Friday, Sept. 6: From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 300 N. Madison St. in Morrison
• Friday, Sept. 6: From 3 to 6 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 217 Chicago Ave. in Savanna
• Saturday, Sept. 7: From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 1102 Meriden St. in Mendota
• Saturday, Sept. 7: From 3 to 6 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 125 Backbone Road East in Princeton
• Sunday, Sept. 8: From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 103 W. North Ave. in Stockton
• Sunday, Sept. 8: From 3 to 6 p.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 201 Dodds Drive in Lena

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.