Convention fun fact of the day:  The Guam delegation will travel the farthest to attend to the convention in Charlotte, traveling for at least 17 hours.

Official Convention merchandise store opens in uptown Charlotte, online store opened one year out, a first in convention history

WBTV: “Official” DNC merchandise store opens

Looking for a Joe Biden coffee mug that says “Cup of Joe”?  They have that. Want a southern-themed t-shirt that says “Obama Y’all”.  They have that too. Are you a cat lover, architect, nun, hipster or zumba lover and you want a button to show your support of the President? You can find one at the “official” Democratic National Convention souvenir shops. There’s one at the Charlotte Chamber offices on S. Tryon Street and another one at the Charlotte Convention Center.  Some area hotels will also have official convention merchandise for sale. “Everything in our store is made in America and we’re very proud of that.  As much as we can we have also sourced and had things made right here in North Carolina,” said Suzi Emmerling, the press secretary for the Convention Host Committee. The S. Tryon store opened today and the stores will remain open through the convention. “If I live in Charlotte I would go to the stores this week to avoid lines,” Emmerling added. Souvenirs range in price from a couple of dollars, to hundreds of dollars.

North Carolinians added to speaker roster….

Charlotte Observer: Gantt, Watt will speak at Democratic National Convention

“Former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, U.S. Rep. Mel Watt and five other prominent N.C. Democrats have joined the list of speakers at next week’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Also scheduled for podium time, a convention official said Thursday night, are former Gov. Jim Hunt; Lt. Gov. (and Democratic gubernatorial nominee) Walter Dalton; U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan; and U.S. Reps. David Price and G.K. Butterfield. Add Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and Gov. Bev Perdue, whose speaking slots were announced previously, and the total of host-state speakers is nine.”

Delegate spotlight….

WFAE: Nineteen-Year-Old Is One Of Youngest DNC Delegates 

“The oldest delegate representing North Carolina at the Democratic National Convention is Charles Johnson of Nash County. He’s 90 years old. And one of the youngest delegates is Nick Carpenter of Cleveland County.  He’s a 19-year-old college freshman. His friends call him “Nick the Democrat”. That’s because most of them are Republican. “I have a sense of humor so I can joke around and not get offended about it,” Carpenter says.  Nick Carpenter first got involved with politics as a high school freshman, volunteering for the Obama campaign. “I knew he would do a good job of being president,” Carpenter says. “We were going downhill fast and I felt like he was our only option to help turn it around.” He’s now a college freshman. It’s his commitment to local politics that made him decide to attend college close to home at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs. He’s the Cleveland County Democratic Party’s Third Vice Chairman, heads the Young Democrats for the 10^th congressional district and he’s the vice-chair for the rural caucus of the Young Democrats. “I know it sounds crazy but it’s mainly just so I can stay in this area and keep working with the local county Democratic Party,” Carpenter says. But Nick’s not interested in running for office. His major is athletic training and he wants to pursue a career in sports medicine. But he takes his local politics seriously. He’s already voted in three elections. There was the race for Shelby mayor, the school board and the race for the city’s commissioner of water in the Shelby’s soil and water election. Not exactly the type of race that gets most teens excited. “Everything in our lives is affected by political decisions and decisions that people in congress and people in the state house and people in your local county commission office make,” Carpenter says.”