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Thursday, February 23, 2006
Charlotte rolls out tournament welcome mat
Continued from page 1A
last year in Raleigh.
"ITje dty is ready to roll
and we’re headed for a great
success," said Tim Newman
of the Charlotte Regional
Visitors Authority
The hotels are booked The
tournament ticket books are
sold out and the events at
the Charlotte Convention
Center, like the Patti
LaBelle hosted “Showtime at
The Apollo” are ready to go,
said Newman
Quinn said it is important
CIAA guests feel welcomed
and want to come back next
year
“We expect 120,000 people
to visit Center City on
Saturday This is a real boost
to the hospitality industry
and this is a chance to show
Center City off as an enter
tainment zone,” she said.
The CIAA tournament is
about more than basketball.
Alumni of the 12 colleges
and universities that make
up the conference compare
the event to a family reunion
or a homecoming
“Everybody is excited
about having so many
celebrity parties fin
Charlotte),” said event pro
moter Michael Kitchen “I
think people are thinking “is
Charlotte ready for that
many black people.’”
Quinn said one thing that
the planning committee is
sure of is that Charlotte is
ready for the tournament
“We have no qualms say
ing that we’re ready,” she
said.
Wilson said he believes
Charlotte businesses are
ready to connect with CIAA
visitors.
“We are a business,” he
said “We’re making a seri
ous effort to put out our
best.”
Huusin}; and parking
If you're looking for a hotel
in uptown, too bad Quinn
says hotels in Center City
have been booked since the
fall
“There are going to be
vacancies, but you’re going
to have to get out of the cen
ter city loop,” she said
The Charlotte Area Thansit
System will be working with
hotels outside of Center City
to add more routes and
buses as needed so that peo
ple can get Uptown.
Parking is scarce, Quinn
said, “but we are stiU a wOTk-
ing dty and people have to
be aware of rush hour
restrictions We’re not mak
ing any spedal tow zones ”
In fact, the dty is doing
just the opposite. Quinn said
since Johnson and Wales
University students are on
spring break, the schocj is
opening its parking lots for
tournament use.
“We're encouraging people
who work in Center City to
ride the bus and allow our
visitors to use the parking,”
Quinn said, adding that she
plans to ride CATS next
PHOTocunre wisoN
Gardine Wilson, owner of
the Coffee Cup restaurant,
plarts to stay open around
the dock during the CIAA
tournament
week.
Party like it’s 1999
There’s more to the CIAA
than basketball and it’s
called a party
The Charlotte Convention
Center opens at noon on
March 2 for the free CIAA
Fan Experience The events
there include the Ford fan
experience, CIAA center
court, the WPEG/WBAV
Soundstage which features
both national and local tal
ent.
At 10 p.m. on March 2,
Patti LaBelle plays host to
“One Night at The ^x>llo ”
Tickets are available
through TIcketmaster and
are $37 for adults and $25
for students
On March 3 at the conven
tion center is the CIAA Step
Show and afterparty, which
gets stomping at 7:30 p.m.
Step show tickets are $21
and the afterparty tickets
are $13, Tickets can be pur
chased through
TIcketmaster.
But don’t think the fun and
entertainment is limited to
the CIAA village uptown,
and the clubs and restau
rants surrounding the
arena. And you don’t have to
wait until dark to get your
party on.
Fraternity and sorority
alumni chapters are spon
soring parties that have that
“School Daze” feel.
• Omega Psi Phi fraternity
has a week’s worth of activi
ties planned beginning
Wednesday Events include a
fish and chicken mid day
mixer at the Omegas of
Charlotte Frat House, late
ni^t breakfast and a ladies
only lingerie lock also at
the Frat House located on
Statesville Road.
Tb link up with the Ques,
caU (704) 373-1971
• The Rho Psi Omega
Chapter of Alpha Kappa
Alpha sorority wiU host Pink
Groove 2006 at the Forum
on College Street. Tickets
are $25 in advance and $30
at the door. Proceeds benefit
the sorority’s scholarship
fund Log on to www.riiop-
siomega org/pinkgroove2006
for more information
Wilson, who also owns
Tfempo Club on Wilkinson
Boulevard said he will pro
vide a double decker bus to
shuttle folks to parties For
information, call (704) 391-
8909.
• The Big Chill on East
Morehead Street will host
hip-hop legend Big Daddy
Kane’s party for the 25 and
older crowd Guests include
Virginia Union alum and for
mer NBA star Charles
Oakley
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