Myrtle Beach brought part of the Grand Strand to downtown Charlotte with a 15.5-ton sand sculpture of President Barack Obama. The sculpture, made completely of South Carolina sand, took five sculptors of Sarasota, Fla.-based ‘Team Sandtastic’ three days to complete.
It’s a part of a massive marketing effort by the Myrtle Beach area to promote the South Carolina coast that borders North Carolina.
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute have set up a hospitality center at the Blackfinn Saloon, a popular bar in what is called the EpiCentre, a cluster of popular restaurants and bars near the Time Warner Arena and Charlotte Convention Center. The saloon will also be the site of MSNBC morning news productions throughout the convention.
Joe Scarborough’s “Morning Joe” will be broadcast live from there, with South Carolina’s 6th District Congressman James Clyburn appearing on the show Monday morning.
They are providing to the media the amenities they might need most during the chaos of a convention: wi-fi, charging stations, a Southern Lowcountry buffet and an open bar.
