03/12/2010

Get to Know Cincinnati at this year's CSCA Conference!

Dear CSCA Members,

On behalf of the 2010 CSCA Local Arrangements Committee, I want to invite everyone to Cincinnati for what is bound to be one of the best CSCA conferences in recent memory. This year's committee is made up of many diverse citizens or natives of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, and we're excited to show off our beautiful and lively city. Check out some of these awesome local events that we've tied in to the conference:

Cincinnati trivia at the CSCA Welcome Reception (Thursday, 6-8 p.m.): Spot a local arrangements committee member (you'll know us by the stickers on our badges) and ask for a trivia question about Cincinnati. Get it right, and you'll get an awesome Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky souvenir or a coupon for a nearby attraction. Get it wrong, and we'll tell you more fun facts about the place we call home. Either way, you win!

Karaoke at Below Zero Lounge (Thursday, 9:30 p.m.): Journey out of the hotel and over to the Below Zero Lounge, a trendy martini bar where the patrons are hip, the drinks strong, and Thursday night karaoke will be in session. Pick your favorite tune and show off your crooning skills, or sit back and watch the fun. Rumor has it there will be CSCA-only drink specials. Cheers!

National Creation Museum tour and discussion panel (Friday, 9:30 a.m.): Just over the river in Northern Kentucky is The Creation Museum, an educational forum dedicated to showcasing and celebrating creationism. Five scholars have made arrangements so that you can visit the museum as part of your conference experience. Reserve your spot at the CSCA registration desk for a $15 deposit (that will go toward your ticket and transportation). Then at 2:00 p.m. attend the corresponding discussion panel chaired by Ryan Shepard of the University of Kansas and featuring four other rhetoric scholars who will share their insights about the museum. 

The Annual CSCA Pub Crawl (Friday, 8:45 p.m.): If you know CSCA member Adam Tyma, you probably know that each year he puts together what is already one of the organization's most cherished traditions. Check out the CSCA website for more on this fantastic event and how you can reserve your very own souvenir Pub Crawl t-shirt. What communication scholar do you think can stay on the mechanical bull the longest during the stop at the Cadillac Ranch?  

A Conversation with Lisa Huddleston (Saturday, 11:00 a.m.): One of only a few organizations of its type in the United States, the Greater Cincinnati Health Collaborative works with more than thirty of the region's hospitals to promote high quality, high value health care. In this session, GCHC Communications Director Lisa Huddleston will dialogue with the audience, highlighting the innovative way the organization used strategic communication to contain the region's H1N1 crisis. 

Interactive performance panel with Ethan Philbrick of project Get to Know Cincinnati at this year's CSCA!cincinnatUS (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.): Cincinnati-based performance artist Ethan Philbrick maintains a video-blog (http://ethandancesinpublic.blogspot.com/) that documents his performative interventions into public space in Cincinnati. During this session designed specifically for CSCA, Philbrick will discuss and demonstrate his techniques, engaging the participants in a performative disruption of their own making. Attendees of the session will then move into the streets of Cincinnati where they will stage their performance. 

Dinner Cincinnati style (Saturday, 6:30 p.m.): Journey to Cincinnati city square, just moments from the hotel, where we'll enjoy Gold Star Chili, one of Cincinnati's famous chili restaurants. After we chow down on some 5-ways and coneys, we'll then go to another famous Cincinnati treasure for dessert: Graeter's ice cream. It is a fun night on the town you won't want to miss! 

As you can see, the ways you can connect to our vibrant region are just as diverse as the impressive scholarship on tap for this year's conference - and this doesn't even include some of the various panel sessions on topics related to Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. If you haven't pre-registered yet, I urge you to go to http://www.csca-net.org/ so you can be a part of the scholarship, fellowship, and all-around good times. We'll even have a welcome packet waiting for you at the front desk so you'll instantly feel like you can navigate our wonderful city.

Sincerely,

Jimmie Manning
Chair, CSCA Local Arrangements Committee 2010