by Jerry Connors, secretary, USHWA

Harrisburg, PA — It’s the deep stretch of the time to reserve rooms for the Harness Racing Congress, Dan Patch Awards Banquet, and related meetings and events, because the discount on room rates at the Westin Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ends Thursday (Feb. 7) at 5 p.m.

After that, regular “rack rates,” some 50 percent higher than the discounted rooms, go into effect for the Congress, which officially runs from Friday (March 1) through Monday (March 4).

Discounted rooms for Thursday night are totally sold out, but you can still get in “under the wire” for Friday, Saturday and Sunday discounts by immediately going to the website of the U.S. Harness Writers Association, www.ushwa.org.

Key events during the Congress weekend will include the two sets of blue-ribbon panel discussions, addressing the major issues facing the sport today, which will be held on both Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon; and the Dan Patch Awards Banquet, honoring the best and brightest stars of harness racing in 2012, on Sunday, with cocktails starting at 6 p.m. and dinner/awards at 7:30 p.m.