Cowlitz County Conference Center
Longview, Washington
August 18-20, 2011

Come to the 11th in '11!

Come to Longview, Washington, in August of 2011 for the 11th USAWest Square Dance Convention!

USAWest is a square dance convention in the western United States, organized to provide an intermediate experience somewhere between local state festivals and the National Square Dance Convention®. It encompasses 13 western states. USAWest conventions are not held in years when the NSDC is in the west. For more information about the USAWest concept and past conventions, please see the official web site of the USAWest Policy Board, www.usawest.net.

We are proud to be hosting the 2011 USAWest convention in Longview, Washington, a port city on the Columbia River about an hour north of Portland.

We will have dancing at all levels, with square dancing from mainstream to A1, rounds from phases I to VI, contra, and clogging. We are pleased to announce that the Ghost Riders Square Dance Band (that's them to the right) will be on hand to provide live music in the evenings. There will also be a program of seminars to fulfill your educational needs, and a number of exhibition groups to entertain you. Details about these activities will be made available as our plans firm up.

All done!

Our convention is now finished. We want to give a big thanks to the 669 dancers who joined us in Longview for three days of all kinds of dancing and fun. There is no USAWest next year because the Nationsl Convention is in Spokane, but we'll be back in Boise in 2013.

After Parties

Many people look forward to the after parties as the highlight of their attendance at a convention. We will have after parties each evening. Thursday night's afterparty will be sponsored by the Lou-Mac Record Company. Friday night's afterparty will be a "hot hash" session, sponsored by your 2011 USAWest Convention Committee. Saturday's afterparty will be sposored by the 2013 USAWest Square Dance Convention in Boise, ID.

Registration

You can view our current registration totals by clicking here.

You may download our full registration form now by clicking here!

Or, if you prefer, you may register online using our online registration process. After taking your registration information, you will be forwarded to PayPal to arrange for payment by credit card or bank transfer.

Convention Committee

Meet the group of hard-working volunteers who are putting on this convention at our committee page.

Callers and Cuers

We will have a full complement of callers from all over the western United States. Browse through some pictures of our talented callers and cuers here. Take a peek here to see how many of your favorites callers will be on the program, and check here to see about your favorite cuers.

Take a look at some of the highlights features in our round dance program.

Longview

Longview is a port city on the Columbia River just north of Portland, Oregon. It has an industrial base, as do many port cities, and shipping is a big part of the infrastructure.

The Cowlitz Regional Conference Center is a modern convention facility with several large exhibition floors and a number of smaller rooms. The center is surrounded by acres of free parking, so there will be plenty of room for you when you come.

Address:

Here is a Google map to show you the way.
Here is a Mapquest map showing you the way.

Getting There

The Cowlitz Conference Center is located on 7th Avenue in Longview. Take exit 36 from Interstate 5 onto WA Hwy 432. Turn right on 7th Ave, and the Center is about half a mile ahead on the right. We expect most people will be arriving at the convention by car.

Convention Outfit

Housing

Red Lion Hotel (headquarters hotel)	360-636-4400
Best Western Aladdin	360-425-9660
Budget Inn	360-636-4610
Comfort Inn	360-425-4600
Guest House Inn	360-414-5953
Motel 6	360-425-3229
Super 8	360-423-8880
Budget Inn	360-423-6980
Hudson Manor Motel	360-425-1100
Monticello Hotel	360-425-9900
Ramada Inn	360-414-1000
Town Chalet Motel	360-423-2020
Town House Motel	360-423-7200
Travelodge	360-423-6460

The Red Lion is a full-service hotel with an outdoor pool and whirlpool, free internet access, and a free full breakfast every morning in their dining room. Identify yourself with USAWest and get a rate of $93 for a deluxe king suite.

The Best Western Aladdin is less than a mile from the event center, and offers a waffle breakfast and free Internet.

The Comfort Inn and Guest House Inn are inside the Three Rivers Mall, so you can walk to restaurants and shopping. Rates are $80 to $90 and include free breakfast.

RV Parking

The Cowlitz Conference Center offers dry RV parking with electricity for convention attendees at $15 per night in a shaded, grassy area directly behind the dancing. Please call Don Sims at 360-423-3369 for information on RV parking.

In addition, the following RV parks are nearby.

Brook Hollow RV Park is an RV park in a quiet country area of Kelso about 3 miles from the convention center. Plenty of spaces on cement pads with full hook-ups. 800-867-0453.

Fisher Island RV Park is a full-service RV park on the Columbia River in Longview, about 6 miles from the convention center. The park is quiet and has full hook-ups, although space may be at a premium. 360-425-9198.

Camp Kalama RV Park and Campground is about 6 miles south of Kelso on I-5. This park is known as the "Home of the Steelhead". There are nice, grassy spots under trees, bordered by the beautiful Kalama River. Full hook-up and tent sites are available.