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Harlan County played host to a world-famous American icon during the past week, as the Oscar Mayer Frankmobile – formerly known as the Wienermobile – made stops in the cities of Harlan and Evarts to the delight of the many folks who remember the vehicle from countless commercials and promotions since early in the last century.

The two-person Frankmobile crew – officially titled Oscar Mayer Frankfurters – consists of “Ketchup Karson” Idelman and her copilot known as “Sammer Sausage.” The two women have been entrusted with the mission to pilot the Frankmobile across the country, spreading the word about Oscar Mayer All Beef Franks along with many smiles.

“We are called Frankfurters, we are the official spokespeople of Oscar Mayer, and we drive the Frankmobile all over the hot dog highways of America,” Idelman said. “We just started in June. We’ve been doing this for three or four weeks now.”

Harlan was the second stop for the Frankmobile on its current tour of the southeast.

“Me and my copilot Sammer Sausage will be in the southeastern region of the country through December,” Idelman said. “We were just in Nashville last week, and we’re heading down to Atlanta this weekend.”

The crew of the Frankmobile hopes to spread a little joy while touring the country.

“We are just here to spread smiles in the community and remind people not to take things too seriously and to always have a smile on their face,” Idelman said.

The Frankmobile and crew were slated to appear at the Harlan Save-a-Lot on Wednesday and the Evarts Save-a-Lot on Thursday before heading back out on the road to their next destination.

“We usually go to each city for a week or two,” Idelman said. “We have off days so we can explore the area. Yesterday for example, my copilot and I went down to Martins Fork Lake; it was just beautiful.”

Idelman pointed out when they aren’t exploring their current location, the pair will have the Frankmobile set up at grocery stores, fairs, festivals and other such events to greet folks and spread a few smiles. She also shed a little light on the history of the hot dog-shaped vehicle.

“We are now officially calling it the Frankmobile,” Idelman said. “We’re seeing if the new name cuts the mustard. The Wienermobile started in 1936. Oscar Mayer’s nephew Carl Mayer wanted to bring smiles to the community during the Great Depression, so he said he was going to build a hot dog on wheels, and he did just that.”

Copilot Sammer Sausage mentioned the best part of the job is the experience of going places she has never been.

“I had never been to Kentucky before coming to Harlan,” Sammer said. “Just getting to see the country behind the wheel of a 27-foot-long hot dog is exciting.”

Idelman noted there are a total of six Frankmobiles currently in the world.

“We’re so excited to be in Harlan,” Idelman said. “We’re really excited to meet the community and we’ve felt very welcomed here.”