Every year I receive almost 100 brochures for meetings and most go directly into the circular file.  However, there is one very special meeting and this year it's the "Big 55" presented by the Western Neurosurgical Society.  Look at the value!  This year's meeting will be at beautiful Four Diamond Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Oregon, at the edge of the western Cascade Mountains.  You will be able to enjoy the magnificent outdoor scenery from your private deck in comfortable northwest style reasonably priced accommodations, not in some overpriced sterile room in a downtown big city hotel. Your universal fee gets you and your spouse breakfast and dinner for three days, social events extraordinaire with  accompanying entertainment and a chance to meet all your old friends.  Other extra activities include golf, tennis, hiking, biking and canoeing on pristine lakes.  Eat your heart out Chicago and Boston!  And this isn't all.  How about a morning scientific program with 10 plus hours of CME in a relaxed setting with the ability to ask experts questions and not feel like a dunce.  One of the program highlights will be our mini cerebrovascular symposium featuring presentations on state of the art endovascular and surgical treatments of aneurysms, radiosurgery of various vascular lesions, and the management of acute stroke.  Upon completion of the entire program, participants should be able to:

Hotel registration is easy, but remember, this year's meeting begins on
Friday, September 11, 2009, with afternoon registration and our opening evening reception.  Just call the Sunriver Resort at 800-547-3922 and say you are attending the Western Neurosurgical Society meeting or register on line at
http://www.sunriver-resort.com/wns.
The deadline for hotel reservations is August 11th.

The resort is a mecca for golf with outstanding courses.  Our annual tournament has challenging rounds scheduled at the Meadow’s and Woodland's courses. We have reserved tennis courts for our members, located  near the Village guest rooms.  Biking on Saturday afternoon will be a Sunriver to Bend van supported road ride for $90 with sandwiches, refreshments, and a shuttle back to the resort.  The Sunday ride is from Dutchman Flat to Bend for $100 with the same amenities; this features exceptional cascade views.  For those who do not bring their own bikes, the resort has 2 day rentals from $30-$40 that can be arranged.  The Saturday canoe trip is on a nearby lake and includes a shuttle and guided nature tour.  The Sunday hike is a guided tour into the caldera of a volcano and includes the shuttle ride.  Each of these is $54 per person.  Of course, an alternative is to simply relax and enjoy all the amenities the resort has to offer.

The Western's "Big 55" is the place to be! Don't miss it!