Spectators eager to see Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech tonight face extremely long lines to get into Invesco Field for the event.

Six hours before Obama was expected to take the stage, a line of ticket-holders snaked more than a half-mile outside the Denver’s NFL stadium.

Security was extremely tight at the outdoor venue. Attendees passed bags through X-ray machines and stepped through metal detectors. Bottled-water drinkers were required to take a sip before they could pass through security. Presumably, that was so that law enforcement could be sure the liquid wasn’t hazardous.

More than 70,000 people are expected to attend the fourth night of the Democratic National Convention as Obama accepts his party’s presidential nomination. It marks the first time a major political party has nominated a black candidate.

Obama’s speech falls on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington.

More than a hundred Arkansans are expected for the final night of the Democratic National Convention. The party gave the state’s delegation enough of the in-demand passes to accommodate Arkansans who are not delegates.

The state’s 47 delegates will be seated with other state delegations in prime seats on the football field.

The 5,000 or so people already in the stadium at 2:30 p.m. Mountain should have brought sunscreen. Though the temperature is pleasant (in the upper 70s) the sun is unmerciful.

The Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau warned visitors this week that the sun’s rays are 25 percent stronger in Denver than elsewhere in the country because of the region’s altitude.

Denver is exactly a mile high.

Tags: Barack Obama, Invesco Field

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Conventions, Democrat Convention 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.