The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is visiting the Quad Cities, spending two weeks - at store openings, car shows, farmers markets, nursing homes, and even the third birthday party for some lucky child.
And piloting the long orange hotdog with wheels are two recent college graduates, Nina LeBrun and Barb Heidkamp. LeBrun says they just started a year-long, full-time job touring the midwest.
"It is so much fun. Everywhere we go people are honking their horns, they're waving they're smiling at us - people are super, super welcoming. And the Quad Cities have been awesome to us. We're having loads and loads of fun here - people have been "frank-tastic" hosts for us here."
"Frank-tastic" is just one of the many puns they've had to learn during training, that also included lessons on how to drive the oversize vehicle.
"There are six in the country touring right now so there's 12 of us hotdoggers. There's a couple in museums. The oldest one in existence is the 1952 model it's at the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan."
LeBrun says Oscar Mayer's nephew, Carl Mayer, first came up with the idea for the wienermobile in 1936. She and her partner are in the 33rd group of young people in the hotdogger program that started in 1988.
Their stops on Saturday include a grocery store opening in Milan, a Celebration of Life and a car show in Davenport, and stock car races in Maquoketa.
