Westin repairs continue

Nearly ten months after a 30- to 50-pound sheet of aluminum fell from the outer wall of the Westin hotel’s 24th floor, officials are still making fixes to the façade – but say the work will be done by convention time.

No one was hurt by the debris, which a Lynx light-rail operator discovered on the tracks. But the September incident did trigger a six-month evaluation of the building’s exterior, according to David Montgomery, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.

 “That was done in conjunction with the city, and also with an engineering firm that we brought in to do that,” Montgomery said. “Obviously, they wanted to make sure there were no additional panels that would fall.” Through the study, workers found other loose panels, Montgomery said, and are now removing and resealing those pieces. Work should be done by August.

Photo: workers hanging a net around the Westin last September. Repairs are ongoing.

American-made souvenirs arrive at Maddi's Gallery

Owners Madis and Diane Sulg of Maddi's Gallery, at 1530 East Blvd., are stocking the shelves with made-in-America convention gifts.

The novelties includes prints ($18) and notecards ($3.25) of a donkey dressed as the regal Queen Charlotte, the creation of Charlotte-based artist Celia Flock. Also look for “Barack around the Clock” alarm clocks for $19.95.

Pewter tokens include a cutout “O” hole – but that’s not to spell “GOP.” The hole spells “Vote Yes On Obama” on one side, and “Vote NO Romney” on the other. 

-Celeste Smith

'Carolina Stories' debut in South End

Three local production crews have created a collection of 30 videos highlighting the region's unique attributes -- from the Charlotte Roller Girls to the Carolina Thread Trail.

This week's Food Truck Friday in Historic South End will include a screening of these "Carolina Stories," designed to promote the area to convention visitors.

Scott Lazes and Kevin Beaty with Charlotte Video Project, Justin Ruckman and Matt Tyndall of CLTBlog, and Tonya Jameson and Lashawnda Becoats of Darling Media Group worked on the project. The two-minute videos show "showcase the culture of Charlotte" says Tracy Russ of the host committee.

Videos by Lazes and Beaty outline Charlotte's growing energy sector and the partnership between Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Winterfield Elementary.

Jameson, a former Observer reporter, said she learned a lot from the project, especially about volunteers who work quietly with children. One memorable project, she said, was about the Latin American Women's Association teaching dancing in schools.

"It's an opportunity to highlight local people and individuals who are coming together outside the typical media spotlight," Jameson said.

Ruckman enjoyed doing stories on Charlotte's startup community, including an interview with Igor Jablokov of automated speech recognition developer Yap.

The Historic South End show begins at dark on a projection screen in the food truck lot. The videos also will show on a continuous loop from 7-10 p.m. on televisions inside and on the patio of The Common Market at South End.

-Celeste Smith

Gallery owner Elder likes his lineup for convention

Art gallery owner Larry Elder really likes the booking he has during convention week. It’s the one he might get that has him excited.

The owner of Elder Gallery, 1520 South Tryon Street, has booked StartUp RockOn, a partnership of ventures that plan to highlight the importance of start-ups at the national conventions. They’ll use the gallery for receptions and events.

“It’s amazing new space,” said Lee Brenner, founder of HyperVocal and one of the Rock On organizers. “It …lends itself to the events we’re trying to do.’

Elder also got a visit from a resident from Chicago, site of Obama’s campaign headquarters. They may end up sharing the gallery for a party following the president’s Sept. 6 acceptance speech.

-Jim Morrill

CPCC a security staging area?

With students and staffers staying home, what will become of Central Piedmont Community College convention week?

Here's a possible hint from CPCC spokesman Jeff Lowrance: He told us the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department "contacted the college about using part of the central campus as a security staging area."

We at Dish on DNC have even heard that the Secret Service might use the site, which is a short hike -- or  helicopter ride -- away from the uptown action.

We contacted the CMPD, which was typically tight-lipped.

The Secret Service was friendlier, but equally mum.

CPCC usually starts classes Aug. 17 or 18. This year, the school will start back on Aug. 9, then take off Labor Day week.

--Tim Funk

Duke, Wake have convention connections

While the commercial networks are expected to stick with their reality-show skeds, PBS will offer gavel-to-gavel coverage of the convention.

And co-anchoring from the PBS skybox inside Time Warner Cable Arena will be Judy Woodruff, who knows North Carolina. (We'd say the Tar Heel State, but she's a Duke alum).

Besides her Duke U. connections -- she served on the school's board of trustees from 1985-97 -- Woodruff is married to a Wake Forest alum. That would be Bloomberg Washington editor Al Hunt, who will also -- no doubt -- be on-the-job here in September.

--Tim Funk

WashPost takes a Charlotte wine-and-BBQ tour

They've started popping up: DNC-themed spreads about Charlotte in the country's biggest newspapers.

"In Charlotte, N.C., the New South Rules" reads the headline this weekend in the Washington Post’s travel section (and online: www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel

Author Zofia Smardz – sometimes snarky, sometimes complimentary – takes readers on a tour that starts at Cosmos Café "in downtown – oh, sorry, make that uptown" and ends with a plate of BBQ and a glass of white wine at Mac’s Speed Shop

"Pretty, leafy Charlotte," she says upfront, "may lie 500 miles south of the Mason-Dixon line, but it’s even farther from the South of my outdated imaginings . . . It's all buttoned-down business, a multicultural melting pot and a farm-to-table haven."

She visits the Museum of the New South, the Bechtler, the NASCAR and NoDa.

Best line comes from her husband, who also does the uptown walk: "Most cities have historic buildings. Charlotte has historic plaques."

--Tim Funk