The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) will host its Annual Hot Dog Lunch in celebration of July as National Hot Dog Month on National Hot Dog Day, Wednesday, July 18, at the Rayburn House Office Building Courtyard from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.  More than 1,000 lawmakers, congressional staff, meat industry representatives and members of the media will convene on Capitol Hill. Six vendors are expected to serve more than 3,500 hot dog and sausage products in the company of three Major League Baseball legends: Tim Raines, Lou Piniella and Ray Knight.

The event will be hosted by the Meat Institute and Honorary Congressional Co-Chairs, Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX), chair, House Committee on Agriculture, and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), ranking member, House Committee on Agriculture.

Baseball Greats in Attendance:

• Tim Raines played as a left fielder for six teams from 1979 to 2002, and is best known for his 13 seasons with the Montreal Expos.  Raines is the 1986 National League batting champion, a seven-time All-Star and four-time stolen base champion.  He was elected to the MLB Hall of Fame on January 18, 2017.      
• Lou Piniella is a former outfielder, who played 16 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees.  During his playing career, Piniella was named American League Rookie of the Year in 1969 and captured two World Series championships with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.  Piniella is also a three-time Manager of the Year, who won a World Series with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990, and most recently managed the Chicago Cubs until 2010.
• Ray Knight is a former corner infielder who played for both the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets.  Knight played third base for the Reds and is remembered by Mets fans for scoring the winning run of game six of the 1986 World Series, for which he was named Most Valuable Player.

Hot Dog Vendors: Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc.; Dietz & Watson Inc.; Hormel Foods Corp.; Land O’Frost Inc.; Smithfield; and Tyson Foods Inc.

Co-Sponsored by: American Bakers Association, American Beverage Association, Hormel Foods Corporation, Kraft Heinz, International Bottled Water Association and Snack Food Association.

Source: North American Meat Institute