A hoedown is a weekend-long country-western dance event. More than just a single evening dance, a hoedown features dance workshops, chances to socialize, and just a whole lot of fun!

Yes and no. In addition to being Dorothy’s original destination in the books and movie, the “Emerald City” is also the official nickname of the city of Seattle, because everything is so green around here.

But a little bit of The Wizard of Oz is bound to show up. With the themes of outsiders, friendship, and teamwork — and the fabulous musical numbers — how could we avoid using Oz references? So pull on your ruby cowboy boots and dance!

Not at all. Anyone who dances — or wants to dance! — is welcome.

Rain Country members get $5 off their registration fee for the hoedown, as well as other perks during the year. For information on joining Rain Country, click here.

Part of Rain Country’s mission is to raise money for charity, to support other organizations within the GLBTQ community. In 2009 and 2010 we chose the Gay City Health Project to benefit.

Rain Country will keep a portion of the proceeds from the weekend to provide seed money for next year's hoedown.

We will be seeking volunteers at all levels in the weeks leading up to the Hoedown.  If you have registered, Brett may send you and e-mail.

Most of all, though, you can register for the Emerald City Hoedown, and get your fellow dancers to register as well! The more who attend, the more exciting the weekend will be for all of us. (And the earlier you register, the lower the price!)

You can register online via PayPal, using your PayPal account balance or by credit card, but we need a signed registration form before you attend. You can download the registration form (Word) (PDF), print it, and send it in after you use Paypal, or send it with a check. The event pricing is included on the form. (Click here for help with Adobe Acrobat and PDF files.)

As soon as we process your registration, we will send a confirmation letter or e-mail. We will also have a special e-mail list for those attending or interested in attending the hoedown, to send you all the details as they come available. (You are welcome to join this list even if you are not registered but just thinking about attending.) As the weekend nears, additional contacts will be sent to ensure that you have all the info you need to make for a fantastic weekend.

If you register online, we will still need to have a signed waiver from you before you can attend the Emerald City Hoedown. We will have a copy of the waiver with your name on it at Registration for you to sign when you check in. Or if you prefer, you can download the Emerald City Hoedown registration form (Word) (PDF), fill it out and sign it, and mail it to the Rain Country address on the form; just indicate that you have already registered online.

Definitely. Every event can be attended individually.

The best value for your dollar, of course, is to register for the entire weekend. The further in advance that you regsiter, the better the price! You can register on this page.

Emerald City Hoedown events will be held at several locations in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood (many of the same venues as we used in 2008 and 2009). For details, see the Schedule page and other pages throughout the Hoedown section.

Rain Country has contracted for a room block at the Seattle Red Lion Hotel for the Emerald City Hoedown, to better serve out out-of-town guests.

For a full schedule of events, click here.

The Emerald City Hoedown will include morning coffee socials on Saturday and Sunday, a lunchtime women’s social on Saturday, and a late night After Hours party on both Friday and Saturday.

Entertainment details for 2010 are still being developed.

If you are visiting from out of town, you may want to go sightseeing while you’re here. You may want to go up the Space Needle, visit the Science Fiction Museum and the Experience Music Project, ride the 1960s vintage monorail, shop at Pike Place Market, tour Underground Seattle, ride the ferry to Bainbridge Island, or visit the University of Washington Arboretum, among other local sights. We’ll be glad to direct you to locations that interest you.

If you’re looking for a delicious casual brunch on either day, we can direct you to some of our favorite local restaurants.

Heh. That’s what we tell people to keep them all from moving here!

The Seattle area is a notoriously damp climate, and late April is the heart of spring, so there’s no telling what the weather will be like. We will hope for “the bluest skies you’ve every seen,” but we’ll prepare for rain. Most likely will be our version of the classic “April showers”: mist and drizzle (especially overnight) and wet streets, with generally dry but overcast days including some sun breaks, with temperatures in the high 50s during the day and the low 40s at night.

Light rail, taxi, bus, shuttle, and limo services are all available from SeaTac airport, and taxi and bus service are available from the train depot.

More transportation options (PDF)

Rain Country expects that some members may be able to host out of town guests for a couple days. Such hosting will be on an as-available basis, so if you wish to plan for such, please let us know when you register, and we will put you in contact with Rain Country members who would be willing to host you during your stay.

We can also recommend hotels and bed-and-breakfasts which are convenient for longer stays.

The Pacific Northwest offers many options for travel and sightseeing. We encourage you to turn your trip to the Emerald City Hoedown into a full vacation, either starting or ending a week’s vacation with the leather weekend.

The major cities are Seattle, Portland (2.5 hours drive south of Seattle), Vancouver, BC (3 hours north), and Spokane (5 hours east). All the cities have spectacular views, assorted tourist attractions, shopping, and vibrant gay communities. And of course there are many smaller cities and towns throughout the area, each with its own attractions.

Outside the urban areas, there are vast expanses of nature to explore. The Cascades are full of dramatic volcanic mountains, including Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. Hood, and the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. West of Seattle is the Olympic Peninsula, with craggy mountains and a temperate rain forest. Further north, you can explore the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound, or venture to Vancouver Island and the city of Victoria, BC. Eastern Washington has broad expanses of mostly high desert, but also areas full of wheat fields, vineyards, apple orchards, and other agricultural products.

More nearby attractions (PDF)