6th Annual Cascadia Educational Conference: Preconference

Grab your favorite pair of walking shoes, it's the Amazing Race meets Eugene! In a partnership with Geoteaming, we added a high-tech element to the walking tour. Teams will go on a high-tech treasure hunt with GPS receivers, Pocket PCs and digital cameras. Your team, with GPS technology to guide you, will discover amazing shops, facts, bistros and hidden treasures as you use the clues in your digital camera to capture the moment with your team. In addition to the fun, the team who finds the most valuable cache will earn a special prize! Meg Trendler of the Convention & Visitors Association of Lane County Oregon and John Chen, CEO of Geoteaming, will be your guides. Tour will start at 2pm in the Hilton Eugene & Conference Center. No experience necessary and all the equipment will be provided for your use. You will return in time to relax prior to dinner with great stories and new friends.

Oregon Electric Station, located just two blocks from the Hilton Eugene & Conference Center, is a Eugene landmark. With actual railroad cars built into the restaurant, Oregon Electric Station features a warm, inviting atmosphere and excellent Northwest cuisine. Please sign up if you are interested in participating in a no-host group dinner on Saturday evening at 6:30pm.

Hult Center for the Performing Arts
$50 per person

Since March 2001, the hilarious show Menopause The Musical® has entertained and inspired women from coast-to-coast and internationally. This 90-minute production features 25 re-lyricized tunes from the 60s and 70s, and culminates with a salute to women who are experiencing The Change.

The Cascadia Conference is holding a limited number of tickets for the evening performance at 8pm on Saturday, March 8. Reservations, with credit card pre-payment in the amount of $50, must be received no later than February 1, 2008.

9am shotgun start
Shuttle to depart Hilton Eugene & Conference Center at 7:45am
$80 per person

Join fellow MPI golfers for this annual tradition! This full-day outing starts with an 18-hole fun-filled tournament on this gorgeous, eco-friendly, award winning course. Fun is the plan for the day, but there will be plenty of healthy competition, too. Prizes will be awarded for the usual contests (long drive, closest to the pin). But there will be a few new surprises in store as well. A box lunch is included.

On the way back to the hotel, we’ll stop at the renowned Fiddler’s Green, the largest on-course pro shop in America. If you need it, they have it!

The shuttle will return to the Hilton with plenty of time to relax and freshen up before the evening’s activities.

Reservations and pre-payment must be received no later than February 15, 2008.

$50 per person
11am departure from Hilton Eugene & Conference Center
Returns to the hotel at 3pm

The southern region of the Willamette Valley is home to a growing number of vineyards producing grapes yielding some truly superb varietal wines. Supported by a climate and conditions practically guaranteed to render the best possible harvests, our valley is becoming well known in the world of viticulture as a prime source of quality fruit.

Given the ready availability of quality grapes, it’s no wonder that a number of growers have developed their skills as winemakers. Within a few miles of Eugene are easily a dozen wineries with tasting rooms for their fortunate clientele. Offerings range from solidly domestic to adventurous, from casual to formal, from innovative to grandly traditional.

You will visit Lane County’s premier winery, King Estate, for a tour and taste of award-winning offerings from the traditional to the exotic. You will learn more about the broad range of wines produced in our lush Willamette Valley, and you will have the opportunity to sample – and to buy – the best of Oregon wines. Tour prices includes standard wine tasting and light fare.

Reservation, with pre-payment, must be made no later than February 1, 2008.

Gervais Salon, located in the 5th Street Public Market just three blocks from the Hilton Eugene & Conference Center, offers a full range of spa services, including manicures, pedicures, massages, facials and makeup applications. Pamper yourself in style. Visit www.gervaiseugene.com or call 541-345-1312.

Footloose Massage Center, located two blocks from the Hilton Eugene & Conference Center, specializes in “nourishment for the sole.” Choose from a variety of foot massage packages, including SoleFul, Oh Sole A Mia, or Filet of Sole. Full body massages are also available. Visit www.footloosemassage.com or call 541-686-4461.

Eugene and Springfield are home to numerous museums. The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History are located on the University of Oregon campus; Maude Kerns Art Center is located in an historic Eugene landmark church; or visit the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, a Victorian home museum. And, while not an “official” museum, the Nike store in downtown Eugene offers an historical overview of Nike’s origins here in Eugene, and features the waffle iron used to make the first pair of Nike shoes. MUSE, Museums of Springfield/Eugene, offers special discounts for 12 museums in the metro area. Visit their website at www.museumslanecounty.org.