Fourth of July picnic and cookout celebrations often include hot dogs and hamburgers as staples.

During my weekly radio show on WJOB-AM 1230in Hammond, producer and broadcast personality Tony Panek reminded me that Northwest Indiana has a special distinction for hot dogs and hamburgers.

The White Castle restaurant at 1879 Indianapolis Blvd. in Whiting ranks as the first White Castle in Northwest Indiana. Panek, 29, recently did a social media video broadcast from the Whiting location to address the buzz in the community that the site might be torn down and moved for a redevelopment project.

Panek and WJOB General Manager Debbie Wargo had a visit Monday from the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which will be rolling throughout Northwest Indiana for the holiday and through the weekend.

According to Advertising Week, the 27-foot-long Wienermobile had its launch as a smaller four-wheel frankfurter designed and constructed to appear in parades for promotion for the Oscar Mayer Meat Company.

The idea for the Wienermobile was dreamed up by Carl Mayer, the nephew of the company’s founder Oscar F. Mayer, a German immigrant who started the company in 1883 in Chicago. The hot dog-shaped vehicle was designed in proportion to carry the company’s famous tiny spokesman, Little Oscar, who appeared in advertisements, commercials and numerous public appearances — and also has a Northwest Indiana connection.

George A. Molchan hailed from Gary and was famous for his work the tiny hot dog chef Little Oscar for the Oscar Mayer Meat Company. When the company decided to launch a Midwest Wienermobile (there were a few sanctioned Little Oscars used for publicity) to travel the United States, Molchan was hired to be an official Little Oscar. He retired back to Hobart to be near family before his death. His graveside services in Merrillville on April 16, 2005, included one of the Wienermobiles at cemetery, as mourners sang the jingle “Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener.”

By 1952, the Wienermobile had been redesigned and made larger and closely resembles the Wienermobile of today, which is created from a converted Chevrolet. The interior includes a hot dog-shaped dashboard and removable sunroof as well as six mustard- and ketchup-colored seats. The exterior includes as “grinning” front grill and the horn plays the official Oscar Mayer jingle.

Philip Potempa is a journalist, author and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center.