The iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will be making a pit stop at the 157th Kane County Fair in St. Charles from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 18.
“We’ve been working to have the Wienermobile at the fair for about 10 years so we’re relishing the appearance,” fair spokesperson Pat Szpekowski said.
The “hotdoggers” driving the sausage-shaped vehicle to the fairgrounds are recent college graduates Maile Carballo and Lindsey Kulesza.
“We’re part of a coast-to-coast wienie roast,” Carballo said.
Actually, the duo won’t be grilling up any dogs but they will be setting up a tent where hot dog-related games will be played and free stickers and Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistles handed out. The legendary toys date back to 1952, Carballo said, and are only available by visiting a Wienermobile in person.
The women noted that the first Wienermobile hit the highway 90 years ago. Today there are six of the 27-foot-long vehicles traveling the country, each operated by a crew of two.
According to Car and Driver, Chicago-based Oscar Mayer receives more than 5,000 applications each year from those looking to become hotdoggers.
“I grew up in Texas and never saw the Wienermobile before this. My mom talked about it, though, like it was a mythical creature,” Carballo said.
While completing her studies in advertising and entrepreneurship this year at the University of Texas at Austin, Carballo thought, “Holy hot dog. What am I going to do (for work)?” She heard about the unusual job, applied online and did a virtual interview.
That led to an interview at Oscar Mayer’s Research and Development Center in Glenview, where she met Kulesza. A spring graduate of the University of Missouri, Kulesza majored in journalism, completing the department’s strategic communication program with a focus on advertising and public relations.
“Oscar Mayer recruits at Mizzou,” she said. “I have friends who had been hotdoggers who told me about it, and I thought, ‘I have to do that.’ So I initially interviewed on campus.”
Carballo and Kulesza hit it off well enough after meeting in Glenview that Oscar Mayer paired them together. The two trained with the 10 other hires for two weeks in early June at the company’s “Hot Dog High” in Madison, Wisconsin, before they started traveling the Midwest.
“This is the most unique experience you can imagine,” Carballo said.
Highlights include parking the Wienermobile at Kulesza’s parents’ home in Des Plaines over Father’s Day weekend and being part of the Independence Day parade in Martinsville, Indiana — Kulesza dressed as a hot dog and sat on the “bun roof” while Carballo drove.
The Kane County Fair will be the second fair for the two, after visiting the one in Marion County, Indiana, on July 5.
As for driving the Wienermobile, Kulesza said it handles like a large SUV or small bus.
“I’ve definitely gained even more respect for truck drivers by doing this, especially when it comes to merging onto interstates,” Kulesza said. “People do honk at us but it’s usually because they are happy to see the Wienermobile.”
When it comes to their own tastes in hot dogs, Carballo said she’s an adventurous eater.
“I love the aroma of bacon-wrapped Sonoran dogs at Texas Longhorn football tailgates. They smell incredible,” Carballo said.
She’s also is partial to hot dogs from the Austin pop-ups Grandpa’s Glizzys, which is known for its variety of toppings, and Zee’s Wiener System, which specializes in the East Coast-style.
“I’ve also learned to really, really enjoy Chicago-style dogs,” Carballo said.
For her part, Kulesza admitted she wasn’t always fond of Chicago’s garden on a bun variety — with absolutely no ketchup allowed — “but I have come to embrace them,” she said.
In addition to the Wienermobile, the Kane County Fair will feature a rodeo, demolition derby, bands, a carnival midway, 4-H animals and competitions, a car show, food, beverages and other attractions when it runs from July 15-19 at the fairgrounds at Randall Road and Oak Street in St. Charles.
For more information, including admission fees and a calendar of events, go to www.kanecountyfair.com.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.
