The Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee Unveils Official Apparel for 2008 Republican National Convention At Mall Of America Fashion Show
Nonpartisan, Bipartisan and Official Convention Merchandise to be Modeled by Local Dignitaries
ST. PAUL, MINN. (May 13, 2008) – Official Convention merchandise for the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis Saint Paul was unveiled today at a runway fashion show at Mall of America.
The fashion show featured a variety of nonpartisan, bipartisan and Convention logo merchandise including polos, T-shirts, jackets, hats, ties and more. In addition, a commemorative Convention T-shirt featuring a hand-painted, watercolor effect of the Twin Cities skyline was also unveiled. The official merchandise was worn by local dignitaries including Bloomington Mayor Gene Winstead and event emcees Maria Cino, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the 2008 Republican National Convention; and Cyndi Lesher, President of the Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee. FM107’s Polichicks – Annette Meeks (a Republican) and Cathie Hartnett (a Democrat, who sported a T-shirt “Democrats for the Republican National Convention”) also participated in the event.
“Today’s unveiling of our convention’s official merchandise represents another important step in planning the most exciting convention in Republican Party history,” Cino said. “With less than 120 days until the gavel drops, we encourage our supporters to click online and check out our convention gear. After all, did the convention ever really happen if you don’t have the T-shirt to prove it?”
St. Croix Promotions & Retail Inc., the official master vendor and licensee of the 2008 Republican National Convention, was chosen after a national search. The woman-owned, local company will produce official logo merchandise that will be available at many retail locations including: MSP Airport, Mall of America, Xcel Energy Center, selected delegation hotels and a 6,000 square-foot CivicFest Mega Store. Official Convention logo merchandise will also be available online at www.msp2008.com and www.civicfest.org.
“It has been 116 years since Minnesota has hosted a political convention and this is an opportunity for all Minnesotans to own a part of history regardless of their political affiliation,” said Lesher. “We wanted to give Minnesotans a sneak peek at all the fun and creative clothing and items that are now available on our Web site for the 2008 Republican National Convention.”
More than 45,000 individuals, including 15,000 media, are expected to attend the Convention. In addition, more than 150,000 people are expected to attend CivicFest, a nearly 300,000 square-foot event celebrating Minnesota and American history, democracy and the U.S. presidency. CivicFest will be held in conjunction with the Convention from August 29 to September 4, 2008, and will be open to the general public.
The Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee is the nonprofit, nonpartisan entity charged with promoting the commerce, image and prestige of Minnesota in preparation for the 2008 Republican National Convention. The last national political convention in Minnesota was the Republican National Convention held in 1892.
The 2008 Republican National Convention will be held September 1-4 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
