PORTLAND, Ore. -- A champion will emerge Tuesday night. Be prepared to “Rock the Casbah.”

Portland plays host to the region’s Air Guitar championships Tuesday at Dante's downtown, located at SW 3rd Ave. and Burnside.

The championships aren’t some publicity stunt -- U.S. Air Guitar is an official organization, which claims its dedication to “our nation’s unofficial pastime.”

U.S. Air Guitar sends the national champion to Finland each year to compete in the world air guitar championships.

The national champion will be chosen at the 2009 “Strange We Can Believe In” finals, a play on President Obama’s campaign slogan, the first weekend of August in Washington, D.C.

Whoever wins at Dante’s Tuesday night will earn a chance to compete for that spot.

The air guitar competition gets underway at 9 p.m. Doors open at 8.