Any number of Health & Wellness issues may occur affecting your attendance at the Emerald City Hoedown, or may affect the hoedown itself, ranging from simple cold and flu to COVID-19 or Monkeypox.

General Wellness

We want you to be in top form during the hoedown weekend.  If in the days before the hoedown, you come down with seasonal illnesses like cold and flu, you may want to consider whether attending the Emerald City Hoedown is in the best interests of everyone involved.  If you are unable to attend, contact us at info@emeraldcityhoedown.com to let us know and we will see what accommodations we can make for you.

During the weekend itself, it can be tempting to push yourself hard, to get in every last dance possible.  Be sure to pace yourself, get adequate hydration and nutrition — it’s not like we don’t provide food at this event! — and ensure that you get some good sleep during the weekend.  We don’t want you missing out on things because you push too hard, or to have you go home sick!

COVID-19

The 2020 Emerald City Hoedown was one of the earliest events to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when government prohibitions on public gatherings prevented us from holding the event, just 2 weeks before our scheduled weekend.  The 2021 hoedown also had to be canceled due to the pandemic, but in 2022, we were able to resume the Emerald City Hoedown, requiring vaccinations and embracing those who preferred to continue masking.  Those mandates continued in 2023–24.

In line with other events and government direction, we no longer require proof of vaccination. We still strongly encourage all attendees to get vaccinated and boosted to the fullest level available to them, and if federal, state, or local guidelines change to require vaccinations or a mask mandate for the hoedown, we will expect hoedown attendees to comply.  Please check back for any requirements for the 2026 Emerald City Hoedown event.

Monkeypox

We encourage those in our dance community to familiarize themselves with Monkeypox and take any precautions your primary care provider might suggest. More details here: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html

Code of Conduct

All dancers at the Emerald City Hoedown are expected to abide by Rain Country’s Code of Conduct.  That includes not shaming or harassing someone else for their masking preferences, which also means not trying to convince them to change their behaviors regarding masks.  We are all family here, so be kind and gentle with one another.

Our organization is working on a broader document to encompass issues such a sexual assault.