MT. VERNON — The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is coming to Southern Illinois and will make an appearance in town Friday.

People wanting to see the iconic traveling hot dog will have the opportunity from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Kroger Store at 415 South 42nd Street in Mount Vernon.

The Wienermobile is a series of vehicles shaped like a hot dog on a bun which are used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States.

The first version was created in 1936 by Oscar Mayer’s nephew, Carl G. Mayer, and variants are still used by the Oscar Mayer Company today.

Drivers of the Wienermobiles are known as Hotdoggers and often hand out little toy whistles shaped as replicas of the Wienermobile, known as Wienerwhistles.