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interfere with the contestants. It is a good idea to keep all decorations off the tabletop, limiting them to the front, sides and behind the competitors. Be sure the decorations do not obstruct the view of the contest. When choosing the size of the table, plan on allowing each contestant the room that would normally be afforded to at least two people. Table manners usually are forgotten during a hot dog eating contest; elbows will be on the table, food might be flying, and drinks can be spilled.

Decide on the rules well in advance. Make sure the competitors know those rules. You can decide if you will be having a time limit where the winner is the one who has eaten the most hot dogs in that time frame. You can also set a limit to the number of hot dogs to be eaten. Whoever eats that specific number of hot dogs first is declared the winner. The latter option is best if you are concerned about the budget or running out of hot dogs. You can also set a limit as to how many hot dogs a competitor can eat at one time. This is not usually done, but it is your hot dog eating contest and you can set the rules. Also, set rules for the ages of the participants. You may have separate competitions for different ages. If there is going to be more than round, be sure to decide in what order they will compete in advance or how you will decide that order once before the contest begins. Drawing numbers from an "Uncle Sam" hat is a good way to decide. For fun, you can have "Uncle Sam" and "Betsy Ross" (any historical figure from 1776 would be fine) stand in front in front of the competition table, before the contest starts, holding giant posters of the rules so everyone will know what they are. This of course, is not necessary, but it certainly adds to the festivities.

Additional games and activities can be added. This may be necessary, depending on the ages and number of spectators. They can be simple activities such as musical chairs, charades, or chasing games (if there is enough room), such as tag. Age appropriate cards games can be played as well. The older spectators as well as the younger will appreciate this thoughtful touch.

Remember to have people designated to certain jobs during the actual contest. There should be one "counter" per contestant. This person's only job is to count the number of hot dogs eaten. If you have elected to have a time limit on the contest, there should be at least one person assigned to no more than two of the contestants to be sure they do not

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