A trip to any state fair or carnival just isn't complete without one. I am talking about a corn dog. It's a hot dog on a stick bathed in a light corn meal batter and deep fried to a golden brown. The reigning patriarch of the nation's premier corndog family has died.

Skip Fletcher grew up in the middle of the beginning of the corn dog revolution in this country. His father and uncle, both vaudeville performers, perfected to the tasty treat in the kitchen of the home that he grew up in.

The year was 1942 when the first Fletcher's Corny Dog made a splash, in 350-degree oil, at the State Fair of Texas. The rest is history. The company estimates that they sell over 600 thousand corn dogs just at the Texas fair every October.

Through the years the Fletcher family has broadened their menu to accommodate changes in tastes and attitudes toward healthy eating. In 2015 the company introduced a vegetarian corny dog. Which was very well received by vegans and meat lovers alike.

In addition to his brother Bill, Fletcher is survived by, among others, his wife Glenda. A family member said she was as yet too upset to comment. Skip Fletcher was 82 years old at the time of his passing.

More From 1130 The Tiger