The original corn dog
was born in Springfield

July 4 – OK, dirt-track racing is great and all, but a guy (or gal) has gotta eat.

And what better place to eat than the joint that claims to be the original home of the corn dog, the Cozy Drive Inn.

Not-so-centrally located on the southern side of Springfield along Sixth Street--that's historic Route 66 to you--the Cozy offers a one-of-a-kind experience.

According to local legend, it was at the Cozy that an entrepreneur who had heard about a baked version of the corn dog came up with a better idea. Looking for a way to cook the corn-batter-covered hot-dog-on-a-stick, he struck on a method of cooking that has probably turned out more delectable foods than any other. I'm talking about deep-fat frying, brother.

And it works.

Walk into the Cozy today, and you're immediately confronted with the smell of good eats and a host of Route 66 memorabilia. Order up a Cozy Dog, and the guy behind the counter whips out a wiener, clamps it into a trowel-looking device and dips it repeatedly into a vat of cornbread-type batter. Then it's dropped into the fryer.

What comes out is has the perfect blend of crunchy crust (the originator first called these things "crusty curs" but changed the moniker in the name of marketing) and soft hot dog. Not a bad way to get (perhaps more than) your daily dose of fat calories. Hey, you'd probably eat those fat calories anyway; why not here?.

Then it's just a hop across town to the dirt tracks.

© 2002, American Motorcyclist Association