We all have our certain places that helped create the golden memories of our childhood. Sparky’s is one of those places, started by an unassuming man named Blanton Sparks who just wanted to put out good food and make a living at it.
My first recollection of going to the drive-in is when I was around the age of six. I remember we would have to park down the highway because the parking lot was already full and people were standing in line at the window placing their orders. At that time, Sparky's had two windows to place the orders and one pickup window. My dad would get the order from the window and hand it to me in its big brown paper sack.
As I write this, I can still see the white wax paper that was used to wrap the pork sandwiches that were stacked up to the brim of the sack. The smell of the smoked meat would drive my nose crazy as I lugged that heavy sack back to our 1945 DeSoto. I would crawl in the back seat and place the sack between my legs as we drove home, all the while wanting to grab that top sandwich and bite into that tender meat with the charred bark around its edges.
We would get home and Mom would spread the numerous sandwiches on the table like Christmas Gifts under the tree. Placed at each chair would be a cold glass bottle of Coca Cola, which if you drank too fast would shoot out your nose and onto your shirt. That combination with Mom’s homemade French fries dipped in Hunt’s Ketchup rendered a meal fit for Royalty.
Then along came the one item that has kept Sparky’s order windows busy long after “Sparky” left this world for the other side. He came up with a combination for his hot dog which has created a reputation among “Hot Dog Enthusiasts" as a hot dog that once you are bitten by it you will be addicted.
It is a well documented fact that these addicted souls will drive many a mile, walk bare foot through snow, suffer unbridled thirst across the Sahara Desert just to be bitten once again. I will have to make a confession here, as I am one of those tortured souls. During my years of travel throughout these wonderful states, I have yet to come across a “Hot Dog” that creates such a desire to be bitten again and again as the one we fondly refer to as the “Ole Sparky.”
The Million Dollar question is what is it about this dog that creates such a following that has put this little town of Tuscumbia on the map as one of the best places to get a “Southern Style Hot Dog.” Is it the Slaw, the Chili, the Dog, the Bun, or is it a combination of all? Let me tell you what I found out in my little tests.
The first test was when I bought the slaw thinking that it was what made the difference. I placed the all beef National Hebrew on the bun, put some chili on it with cheddar cheese and took a bite. To my surprise all I got was a whimper, no bite, not even a growl. I then tried my second test and used their chili separate on another dog, this time using a regular Ball Park weenie with a lackluster taste.
This is when I came to the conclusion that it was the entire combination of the style of bun, type of dog, their homemade chili, the sloppiness, the smell , the soft hot feel as you unwrap it and a slaw so unique that I promise you will not find it on any other hot dog. This combination renders a flavor that somehow maximizes each ingredient at its best and slams the taste buds with such an intense flavor you come to the conclusion that, after all these years of searching, you have finally found the “Holy Grail” of the Southern Style Hot Dog.
As age caught up with Sparky, he could no longer maintain the hours it took to run a business as laborious as this. In 1994, Karen Smith took over the drive-in and was smart enough to recognize the style of dog she was putting out was one of the major things that kept her customers coming back to this little building at 701 Old Lee Highway in the small community of Valdosta southwest of downtown Tuscumbia.
It is not unusual for her to see people who have been coming to her order window for several generations. They all tell her stories about Sparky who at around 5’10” was physically not a large man, but he created a Hot Dog that has a reputation bigger than the State of Texas. I am sure never in his wildest dreams would he have known his name would become a legend because of an old household standby called the “The Hot Dog.”
While this location used to set on the main highway to Memphis, it has been bypassed by the Four Lane 72 Highway approximately one mile to the south, but that has not kept the loyal customers from turning down Hook Street and getting their hot dog fix on a regular basis. Karen over the years has been very careful not to change a thing about the dog, and Sparky has on occasion showed his appreciation by cutting off the lights for her when she asks.
Location: 701 Old Lee Highway, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674
Hours: Closed on Sunday & Monday and after 6:00 p. m.
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