Andy Yurchak's hot dog cart has been a fixture in the park in downtown Jim Thorpe for decades.

He and his partner of 13 years, Toni Mowery, have served up thousands of hot dogs and other delectable goods to an uncountable number of patrons since 1988.From children to adults from both Carbon County and continents across the Atlantic, everyone who visited Jim Thorpe passed "The Wienie King."Now after 26 years, Yurchak is hanging up his apron and passing on his title as he and Mowery are retiring from the business. Their official last day is Monday."Everybody says you'll know when it's time but I always took that with a grain of salt," Yurchak said. "One day, I woke up and realized I'm 64 years old, going on 65, and I've missed a lot of the things people take for granted."It's been such a soothing thing for myself and it's great stress management," he added, noting that he is a full-time corrections officer at the Carbon County prison. "It has made me a better person, gave me discipline, durability, accountability and it really built my character."Hot dogs, get your hot dog here!The story of Andy's hot dog cart dates back to the 1980s, when the business was owned by Frank Pasdon, a former manager of the then Acme Market, and later owner of the Jim Thorpe Market.Yurchak, who knew Pasdon well, always told Pasdon that if he ever wanted to sell the carts, he would buy them."One day I walked into the market and he (Frank) said 'do you want the carts?'" Yurchak recalled. "I said 'yes' and the rest is history."Yurchak officially opened up for business with a menu of hot dogs, sodas and a few snacks in April 1988 and his adventure began.It's all about the hot dogsOver the next 13 years, the business thrived on its small menu as Yurchak balanced his passion with his full-time career.It was quaint and Yurchak enjoyed meeting the people who visited, boasting that over the years, he has met people from every state and even from numerous countries, some of whom he has even kept in contact with; while others, many local, return often just to share good conversation and a hot dog.It wasn't until after he and Mowery became a couple in 2001 that the hot dog cart's menu began expanding."Toni has been my chief cook," Yurchak said. "She is the best person in the world and has been behind me, beside me and was there whenever I needed someone to pull me up."She has been responsible for bringing this to the next level and everyone loves the foods she comes up with. She is absolutely the best."Once Mowery began adding some flair and growing the menu, a number of items quickly became visitor and local favorites.Today, patrons can choose from a rotating selection that includes the ever-popular hot dogs, as well as kielbasa, bratwurst, walking tacos, chili, halushki, various soups, mac and cheese, fried dough and snacks galore."If I had to pick, besides the hot dogs, I think Toni's halushki is hands down the best selling," Yurchak said. "Her mac and cheese comes in a close second though."Keeping it in the familyAfter Yurchak decided that now was the right time to ride off into the sunset, he approached Mowery's cousin, Eric Cinicola, about possibly taking on the business.Cinicola, a volunteer firefighter in Jim Thorpe, as well as a state trooper, felt that this was his calling and purchased the carts. He will officially take over operations come January during the borough's ice festival."We wanted to offer it to the family," Yurchak said. "This will add to his (Cinicola's) stress management from his job. We won't be gone though, as we plan to be a silent partner to help give him advice and make sure he gets off on the right foot."Cinicola is happy for the chance and looks forward to keeping the tradition alive."When I was a little kid I remember the hot dog cart in town," he said. "When Andy and Toni approached me about buying it, it was an honor."It will be great stress management for my job," Cinicola added. "The few times I've worked there, I found that it is so relaxing with meeting people from all places, but it's going to be tough shoes to fill. I'm just happy to be keeping it in the family."Good to the last biteYurchak said that once the couple hang up their aprons and bid farewell to the hot dog cart business, they plan to begin doing things they never had a chance to do.The couple bought an RV and plan to be "rambling vagabonds" in their spare time as Yurchak doesn't have plans to retire from his full-time job just quite yet."We're going to enjoy it," Yurchak said, noting that one of his bucket list items he wants to check off is to visit every national park in the United States. "I'm ready and I'm going to enjoy the new adventure ahead of me."When asked about what he would like to tell his patrons over the past two-and-a-half decades, Yurchak teared up."It's been fabulous," he said. "The people are awesome. They have been nothing but supportive and I have people who come to see me just to get a hot dog and say hello."To all my customers, I couldn't thank them enough. They made me what I am today and they let me do what I wanted to do. Without them, I would be just another Joe on the street, but right now I'm the Wienie King of Jim Thorpe and I'm proud of what I've accomplished."I'll miss it, but it's time to walk away."