The Corner Bar

Chronology:
1873 - Originally called Boots, Shoes and Crockery, the building that now houses The Corner Bar is built.
1883 - The building survived the Great Fire of Rockford, Michigan.
1896 - The building survived the Main Street Fire.
1873 to 1900 - In addition to Boots, Shoes and Crockery the building was also Saunders and Morris Dry Goods and Groceries and Ivan Elsby's Hardware Store.
After 1900 - The building became a tavern called The Corner.
Early 1930's - The Corner was a pool hall owned by Carl Hyde and later by his son, Charles Hyde and operated by Harold Bailey Sr. and Howard Bailey.
1933 - After prohibition was repealed on December 5 Carl Hyde wanted to obtain a beer license. The law required that food also be served, so Harold Sr. and George Myers, a former army cook, collaborated to develop the "special sauce" and The Corner Bar Hot Dog was born.
1965 - Donald R. Berg purchased The Corner.
1968 - Donald Berg originated the now famous Hot Dog Hall of Fame.
Since then, over 5,000 champions have joined, eating 12 or more hot dogs.
2000 - Andy Tidey and Jeff Wolfe assumed ownership of the Corner Bar.
2004 - Andy and Jeff launched a "Most Wanted" campaign to inspire would-be champions to break the 23-year Hot Dog Hall of Fame record of 42 1/2 hot dogs.
December 3, 2005 - Balinda Gould ate 43 Corner Bar Hot Dogs in the four-hour time allotment. She remains amateur champion today.
2005 to 2006 - The Corner Bar Hot Dog Hall of Fame has also caught the attention of national competitive eating associations.
March 5, 2006 - Tim Janus from New York City downed 43 1/2 hot dogs in the four-hour time period and holds the newly established professional record.

The Corner Bar has sold over 14 million hot dogs since 1965. Stretched end to end that would reach Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, the birthplace of the hot dog.

Personal History:
As a blogger of history and culture I normally do not do this, but this blog post warrants some personal history regarding The Corner Bar.

In the late 1960's my mother and father in law moved from Illinois to Rockford, Michigan. My mother in law has family still in the Rockford, Fremont and Martin area today. My father in law was a volunteer fireman, worked for various companies and eventually went to school in the area. In 1971 my wife was born in Grand Rapids. They lived in Rockford up until the city purchased their home, along with others on Monroe St. to build a new municipal building. My in laws and wife then moved to or near Martin, Michigan. They moved to Des Moines, Iowa after my father in law finished school because a company offered him a job where he worked until he retired in 2008.

After meeting my in laws and marrying their daughter my father in law would some times say "Corner Bar approved" after eating at a hot dog place. One day I asked what he meant by that. He told me about The Corner Bar in Rockford. He was rating the quality of the other hot dog places to what he used to experience at The Corner Bar. What he meant by "Corner Bar approved" was it was at least just as good or real close to the hot dogs The Corner Bar serves. My wife remembers when she was a little girl going with her dad to The Corner Bar and standing outside the walk up window when he would order hot dogs for the both of them.

My father in law passed away in 2009. Before this we were planning a trip to the Mackinaw and Grand Rapids/Rockford area of Michigan. The trip was put on hold until this year and it was just myself, my wife and her mom. When we were in Rockford her mom arranged to have most of the family meet us at The Corner Bar. There was 15 or more of us there. We all met to eat and have a drink to honor the memory of my father in law because he loved The Corner Bar so much when they lived in Rockford and the family all loved him.

Thank you to The Corner Bar for being a part of my father in law's life. He really enjoyed living in Rockford and being a part of the community.

Web site:
The Corner Bar A Rockford Tradition

Photos: