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'The Spot' still grills up smiles on City Island | Sports Spotlight

For 85 years, The Spot has been the top dog for hot dogs in South Central Pennsylvania, and they're the first stop for Harrisburg Senators fans at FNB Field.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — For some students, FNB Field is a go-to place for a summer job once school is out.

But it's not just students. It's where you can also find teacher, Eric Solomon.

"The preparation in April and May looks a lot different than the preparation in June, July, and August," laughed Solomon. "Drew who's working behind me, he's also a teacher. So he gets out a little bit earlier and he does a lot of the prep work."

Since 1939, The Spot has been the spot for many when it comes to hot dogs. Most were served at its original location on the corner of Walnut and Second Streets in Harrisburg, before it closed in September of 2007.  

That's when the Senators made one of their biggest additions in franchise history.

"So I get a call from Mayor [Stephen] Reed and then I also get a call from Mark Butler. Mark Butler was the owner, at that time, of the Harrisburg Senators and I said, 'Is this a joke?' We met at my other former place, Zembie's. We sat there on a Saturday morning and we hashed it out," recalled The Spot's former owner Billy Kaldes. "It's the best thing we ever did because the legacy keeps going on for The Spot."

Kaldes ran The Spot from the 1980s to 2007. He took over from his father, who took over from his father's uncles.  

Solomon is Kaldes' son-in-law, so even though this Spot is across the Walnut Street Bridge at FNB Field, it's still a family business.

"It's just a wonderful thing that my family, my daughter, my son-in-law, my grandchildren are keeping up the legacy and my father would have been very, very happy."

"Every night we'll have people where we'll hear stories and it's awesome to be able to keep that going and to have that connection that resonates with so many people in the area that they connect with such good times in their life," added Solomon.

While the menu has many classic Spot items, there are some new favorites for Senators fans to enjoy.

"I love just being able to play around and try new things. When we first came over, we tried to keep the menu very similar to when it was downtown. We've added rotating features and it kind of just started off with, 'I bet this would be good on a hot dog.'  It's a lot of trial and error," said Solomon.

But some things never change. There's still a line, the people at the grills are still busy, and even at the ballpark, The Spot still has its regulars.

And at a time of year when some people are eating and dunking as many hot dogs as they can in a short amount of time on Coney Island, a Spot Dog on City Island is a time to savor.

"Fourth of July and hot dogs, it's all kind of synonymous with baseball."

"It's like being in the Riviera," said Kaldes with a smile after taking a bite of a Spot dog. "It's the most beautiful thing you can have,  a Spot dog on the island!"

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