SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois State Fair opens Thursday evening, and visitors will have a new Route 66 attraction to see.
A 25-foot-tall Cozy Dog statue, complete with neon mustard and ketchup, now stands at the Illinois Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
The display celebrates one of Springfield’s best-known Route 66 traditions. It was made possible through support from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Visit Springfield and the Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission.
The Illinois Route 66 Experience opened in July 2023 at Gate 2 of the State Fairgrounds. The free, year-round exhibit highlights the people, places, neon signs and roadside culture along Illinois’ historic Route 66.
“The Cozy Dog represents so much of what makes Illinois Route 66 special: family, food, entrepreneurship, roadside Americana and unforgettable stories,” Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway Executive Director Casey Claypool said. “Making it 25 feet tall, with neon mustard and ketchup, gives visitors a fun, memorable and photographable way to experience a piece of Illinois’ Route 66 history.”
Ed Waldmire Jr. created the Cozy Dog in the 1940s. His family introduced the corn-battered hot dog on a stick at the Illinois State Fair in 1946 before opening the Cozy Dog Drive In on Route 66 in Springfield.
The Waldmire family has deep ties to Route 66. Ed’s son, the late Bob Waldmire, was a Route 66 artist, mapmaker and historian whose work helped preserve the history of the Mother Road.
More educational displays about the Waldmire family will be added near the statue in the coming months.
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