Each week, we’ll be providing an inside look at the Convention straight from the people putting the event together. Check back here weekly or visit the Huffington Post to learn more about how the many pieces of planning are coming together as the Convention approaches.

Today’s feature is from Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Relations.

Sky Gallegos is a Denver native who has spent her career focusing on Democratic politics in the West. She’s been working for more than a year now to help plan her Party’s Convention in her home town. With just 30 days to go until her personal and professional stories converge with the opening gavel of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Sky shares her thoughts from inside the DNCC in this video blog.

Today, the city of Denver announced its plan to ensure mobility and access during the week of the Convention. The city’s plan provides information on roadways, recommended routes, public transit services, residential and business access, and community outreach endeavors.

We know that many of our Denver neighbors have been curious about the city’s plans on this front. For the city’s complete plan, click here.

UPDATE: Check out this coverage of yesterday's forum! 

Tours to give locals a peek at Pepsi Center before Dems arrive
The Denver Post
June 11, 2008
By Chuck Plunkett
SOURCE: http://www.denverpost.com/dnc/ci_9545032

DNC organizers outline public participation
KUSA-NBC 9 Denver
June 10, 2008
By Kyle Clark
SOURCE: http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=93464&catid=188

At a mid-day forum at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver’s LoDo District (Lower Downtown), Convention organizers unveiled a series of official events open to Denver-area residents and other attendees around Convention week. Click here to see video announcements on these exciting events open to the public.

A second forum will be held tomorrow evening at Mile High Station.  If you’d like to attend, please RSVP by email to rsvp@demconvention.com  or call (720)-362-2008, as space is limited.

5:00 pm MT, WEDNESDAY, June 11, 2008
Mile High Station
2027 W. Lower Colfax Ave.
Denver, Colo.

The Denver forums conclude the series - "Convention Conversations: A Traveling Forum Sponsored by the DNCC" – which launched in September and has logged more than 3,500 miles and visited eight different cities throughout the Rocky Mountain West in recent months.  The community forums are designed to provide residents throughout the region with opportunities for direct communication with top Convention organizers and a venue to ask questions, share ideas and find out how they can get involved in the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

After visiting eight cities in the Rocky Mountain West during the past ten months as part of our series of “Convention Conversations” community forums , we’re coming back to the place where it all began in September— our host city of Denver -- to close out the series.  These back-to-back community forums on the afternoon of June 10th and the evening of June 11th will be an opportunity for Denver residents and business owners to ask questions directly to our Convention CEO Leah Daughtry and other members of our senior management team just under three months before the opening gavel.

For the first time, we will also provide an overview of several official Convention activities and events open to the Denver community during Convention week in August. Trust us, we’ve got something for everyone, and these forums are a great opportunity to see and learn firsthand how you can be a part of history!

Please join us:

11:30 a.m. MT, TUESDAY, June 10, 2008
Tattered Cover Book Store
1628 16th Street
Denver, Colo.
Click here for directions

5:00 pm MT, WEDNESDAY, June 11, 2008
Mile High Station
2027 W. Lower Colfax Ave.
Denver, Colo.
Click here for directions

For all those interested in attending, please RSVP in advance by emailing rsvp@demconvention.com or by calling (720)-362-2008. Space is limited at both events, so RSVP today!

Earlier this week, we posted here about our first experience and impressions of the annual parade in downtown Denver to open the National Western Stock Show. Now, we’re back with of the big event — a parade of longhorns marching down one of Denver's busiest streets followed by tractors, stage coaches and a menagerie of color and spirit. 
 

“A visual manifestation of our West and our Western culture" is how National Western Stock Show President and CEO Patrick Grant described the parade. Click below to hear more of what he had to say, including his thoughts on the opportunity presented by the Democratic National Convention in Denver, as well as comments from Hall of Fame Pitcher and Parade Grand Marshal Nolan Ryan, who spoke to the impact of both agriculture and the Convention on the Colorado economy.

Governor Bill Ritter even paused from his saddle to offer a greeting to our DemConvention.com visitors!

 The West has a unique culture that has been passed down through the generations. Even though farmlands have given way to sprawling suburbs and exurbs, the West is still a place where traditions hold strong.

This week, the National Western Stock Show returns to Denver. It is tradition that on the Tuesday before the show begins,

the residents of Denver are treated to a parade that begins with longhorns, followed by horses and carriages and lots and lots of pageantry. With Gov. Bill Ritter commanding a horse, the longhorns set out down 17th street. 

This week marked the much-anticipated opening of the credentialing process for media interested in covering the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. While the bulk of media who will attend the Convention are credentialed through the U.S. Congressional Press Galleries, we do credential media — including bloggers — through the DNCC Press Gallery. 

At the close of week one (drumroll please), we are happy to report 51 applications from bloggers already in — including State Blogger Corps applicants from 20 states such as: California, Colorado,  Vermont, North Carolina and Kentucky. There’s plenty of time to ensure that no state is left behind on this unique Convention coverage opportunity. To apply for blogger credentials, click here. And be sure to check back for updates as applications continue to come in.

Recently, we posted a story about our DNCC Service Day with Convention Co-Chair and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. This just in: new video of Mayor Franklin touring The Crossing and rolling up her sleeves and sorting canned goods with the Convention team. Click above to watch the video.