Emo's is back: The hot dog and ice cream stand opens at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow (2024)

PEORIA — The only way to celebrate the start of another spring season is under the gaze of a massive clown's head, a tradition that will kick off before dawn Thursday as Emo's Dairy Mart opens for the year.

Emo's, the reliable purveyor of hot dogs, chili cheese dogs, cheese fries and tasty ice cream, will open at 5:30 a.m. Thursday at the iconic stand on the corner of Prospect Avenue and War Memorial Drive.

All menu items will be half-price from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., an annual opening day tradition for Emo's that will culminate in a donation to charity.

Emo's isn't the only seasonal stand now open. One of its ice cream compatriots, the Ice Cream Shack, opened for the year on March 15, while another, Theo's Ice Cream on Gale Avenue, started serving Monday. All three stands serve up food and ice cream from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Thomas Bruch can be reached at 686-3262 or tbruch@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasBruch and contact him about any openings and closings in the Peoria area.