DOGGONE DENTON COUNTY SPOTLIGHT
A
delicious TEXAS TRADITION
I
by Jean Eisenmann | photos courtesy of Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs
f you’ve lived in Texas for any length of time and haven’t heard of Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs, don’t you dare admit it! Fletcher’s iconic hot dog on a stick is to Texas what the lobster roll is to Maine or the Philly cheesesteak to Philadelphia. You see, as any true Texan can attest, the Fletcher family created the corny dog. It’s a portable meal in your hand. A little bit of Texas heaven. And a Texas tradition.
when I was just a year old. My father,
Neil Jr., moved his family to Double Oak
around 1977, and my mother GG, brother Aaron, and I still live there.”
In 1988, with the passing of their patriarch, brothers Neil Jr. and Bill Fletcher assumed the company. For the next nearly 40
In 1942, brothers and former
to this day. Their corny dog became a
and Carl Fletcher developed
and generations of Texans have come to
dog at the State Fair of Texas.
dog on Earth. Fun fact: Fletcher’s has been
new business ideas, such as opening
product names such as K-9 and
than Big Tex!
corny dog menu. Skip introduced both
vaudeville performers Neil
cornerstone of the State Fair of Texas,
and introduced their corny
associate the event with the best corny
After experimenting with
a staple of the State Fair a decade longer
Brown Bomber, the brothers
Many fans aren’t aware that the Fletcher
decidedly agreed on the name Fletcher’s Original State Fair Corny Dogs. Though it took
them 12 years to perfect their
unique batter, the proprietary recipe remains the same
20 | LIFE IN CASTLE HILLS | JUNE 2021
family has lived in Denton County for
decades. Neil’s granddaughter, Amber
Fletcher explained, “Grandfather moved
years, with Bill at his side, Neil (crowned Skip, “The Corny Dog King”) continued
their father’s legacy while implementing restaurants and adding new flavors to the the Jalapeño & Cheese and the Bird Dog. Later, Amber created the Veggie Dog,
while her brother Aaron came up with the Cheezy Pup.
from Missouri to Dallas in the 1930s. In
Since the passing of Skip Fletcher in 2017,
remained there until his death in 1988,
third generation. GG and Bill still maintain
the 1970s, he relocated to Lewisville and
the family’s baton has been passed to a
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