Ribbon cutting held for new 25-foot cozy dog statue at Illinois State Fairgrounds

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — An official ribbon cutting was held for the new 25-foot Cozy Dog statue at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Saturday.

The statue is located at the Illinois Route 66 Experience on the fairgrounds. It is complete with neon mustard and ketchup.

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 (DCEO), Visit Springfield and the Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission.

"We're the birthplace of the Cozy Dog, so there's no better place for this than right here on the state fairgrounds," DCEO Chief of Staff Becky Locker. "These efforts boost our local economies, and they really drive visitors here and all throughout the state."

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.

"This incredible neon sign of a cozy dog is a tribute to the Waldmire family and to Cozy Dog," Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher said. "This is a collaboration between the scenic byway, the state of Illinois, DCEO and the city of Springfield. That's how we get great things done, is supporting each other as a community. The Waldmire family started that tradition many years ago, and we're just following in their footsteps."

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.