National Hot Dog & Sausage Council Extends Deadline for 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' Video Contest

RJ Note: Mmmmmm. Love those hot dogs at the baseball field. Guess I'd best head on out to see my hometown team soon.

/PRNewswire / -- Due to popular demand, the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council (NHDSC) today extended the deadline to June 13 for its song contest to create an updated version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" that includes a reference to hot dogs.

"The Council has received such positive feedback and requests for more time that we will extend the deadline one week to June 13," said the Queen of Wien -- NHDSC president Janet Riley. "We've received entries from people ranging in age from 5 to 70. We want to give Americans one more week to don their creative hats, fire up their cameras and send in a new version of this age-old song."

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game," which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008, includes a glaring omission. While hot dogs are the number one food served in major league ball parks, the song only references peanuts and Cracker Jack(TM).

Entries may be submitted online at www.hot-dog.org or by mail. Props and costumes are encouraged. Complete contest details may be found at www.hot-dog.org.

A panel of judges will review entries for their originality and excellence. Judges include: Washington D.C.'s "Man About Town," Bob Madigan, of WTOP radio; Chicago news and sports personality Bob Sirott of NBC5; hot dog historian Bruce Kraig, author of the new book Hot Dog; Agri-talk Radio Host Mike Adams; and Eric Haman, corporate communications manager at Hatfield Quality Meats and star of the YouTube sensation "The Hatfield Hot Dog Launcher."

Winners will be announced at the start of National Hot Dog Month July 1 and will be featured in an online video on www.youtube.com/hotdogcouncil.

Awards will be presented in the following categories:

-- Honorable Mention -- Five (5) pounds of gourmet hot dogs and a $50
gift certificate to MLB.com to be used for merchandise or game tickets
to select teams.
-- Third place -- Ten (10) pounds of gourmet hot dogs and a $100 gift
certificate to MLB.com to be used for merchandise or game tickets to
select teams.
-- Second Place -- Fifteen (15) pounds of gourmet hot dogs and a $250
gift card to MLB.com to be used for merchandise or game tickets to
select teams.

-- Grand Prize -- Twenty-five (25) pounds of gourmet hot dogs and a $500
gift card to MLB.com to be used for merchandise or game tickets to
select teams. Winner also will receive a souvenir baseball autographed
by Hall of Famer Phil Niekro.


"This year, Americans will consume 22 million hot dogs in Major League baseball parks," Riley said. "We thank America, in advance, for helping us correct this cultural oversight and for helping us give hot dogs their rightful place in 'Take Me Out To the Ball Game.'"

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