HARRISBURG PA – The United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), the trade organization of harness racing communicators and the largest organization of its kind in the world, has announced that it will be holding its 2017 Dan Patch Awards Banquet at the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort and Casino on Sunday, February 26, with the organization’s annual meetings to be conducted the day before and that day.
A part of the Caesars chain of gaming resorts, Planet Hollywood started operation on its present site, formerly the Aladdin casino/hotel, on the famous Las Vegas Strip next to the Vegas and Bally’s casino/hotels, in 2007, and the property was acquired by Caesars in 2010. It was the first resort operated by Planet Hollywood, which is an upscale restaurant chain owned by many Hollywood stars and founded in 1991.
Among its features at the Las Vegas site are The Miracle Mile, a 170-store shopping mall, and AXIS, the largest auditorium on the Vegas strip, where performers such as Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Lionel Richie have performed “in residence.” Its variety of on-site eating establishments run the gamut from a Gordon Ramsay-overseen restaurant to a Starbuck’s.
The Dan Patch Awards Banquet annually honors the best and brightest performers, both human and equine, of the previous season. The awardwinners are selected by USHWA, which will be holding its Directors meeting on Saturday and its General Membership meeting on the banquet Sunday.
The United States Trotting Association (USTA) will be meeting in Las Vegas starting the day after the banquet, Monday, February 27, headquartered at the Rio Hotel and Casino; Harness Horsemen International (HHI) is also having its annual meetings in Las Vegas in the general timeframe. A synergistic joint session of organizations is under discussion, but nothing has been finalized yet.
“I’d like to thank chairman Gordon Waterstone and his entire Banquet Location Committee for its hard work in exploring options and then selecting and signing with Planet Hollywood,” said Tim Bojarski, president of USHWA. “Our organization is excited at the prospect of again going to Las Vegas, and Planet Hollywood has all of the necessary accommodations and infrastructure so that we can continue to present a first-class Dan Patch Awards Banquet, truly honoring the champions of our sport.”
Details will be made available at the USHWA website, www.ushwa.org, and through trade media as they become available.
by Jerry Connors, for USHWA