Like a Cinderella deciding to pass up the ball, Denver said no thanks to an invitation in 1976 to host the Olympic Games. Now the Mile High City is off to the dance of the Democrats, a party pooper no more.
Nervous about the logistics, short on money, excited to show its sophisticated side, proud but a little touchy about its Western past, Denver is as ready as it’s going to be for the Democratic National Convention.
Tens of thousands are expected for the Aug. 25-28 convention at the downtown Pepsi Center. An estimated 75,000 people could hear Barack Obama‘s acceptance speech at nearby Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium.
Denver is determined to drive home the Mountain West’s importance in the presidential election and show off its stature as a cosmopolitan area of 2.4 million — one riding an oil and gas boom and strong in telecommunications, aerospace, agriculture and renewable energy.
[Via msnbc.com]