Its Championship Day Saturday at the CIAA Tournament, and that means two final basketball games and a lot more partying.
And it also means heavy traffic in the uptown area.
Champions will be crowned in the womens and mens divisions of the weeklong basketball tournament, with the winners gaining automatic berths in the NCAA Division II Regional tournaments this month.
But as has been the case all week, there will be plenty of other things to do in Charlotte.
Perhaps the biggest off-the-court activity is the annual Post-Tournament Party, scheduled for 11 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention Centers Crown Ballroom. The featured guest at the party will be singer Chaka Khan.
Another big attraction will be the McDonalds Super Saturday event, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena. That includes live entertainment and the crowning of Miss CIAA, Brittany Whidbee of Elizabeth City State University.
The CIAA Toyota Fan Experience continues at the Convention Center, and the Step Show Step-Off is scheduled for Saturday evening at the Grady Cole Center.
Transportation officials remind people who will be in the uptown area to expect heavy traffic both vehicular and pedestrian throughout the day Saturday. Many of the fans attending the tournament and related events are from out of town and might not be familiar with the citys traffic flow, Charlotte officials say. So motorists are being urged to use extra caution when driving uptown during the tournament.
Charlotte Area Transit System says its Gold Rush Red Line will operate from 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday. It provides free transportation in a corridor stretching from the Johnson C. Smith University campus eastward to the intersection of McDowell and 4th streets.
Saturdays schedule:
• Food Lion Health and Wellness Symposium: 8 a.m.-noon, Time Warner Cable Arenas practice court. Features food sampling, exhibits and booths.
• McDonalds Super Saturday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Time Warner Cable Arena.
• CIAA Toyota Fan Experience: noon-9 p.m., Charlotte Convention Center. Free admission. Includes Belk Fashion Show, 3 p.m.; and concert featuring Chrisette Michele at 6:20 p.m.
• Womens Championship: 5 p.m., Time Warner Cable Arena (carried live on Bounce TV).
• CIAA Step Show Step-Off: 8 p.m., Grady Cole Center, Kings Drive. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Features step competition among the CIAAs schools.
• Mens Championship: 8:30 p.m., Time Warner Cable Arena (carried live on ESPNU).
• CIAA Post-Tournament Party: 11 p.m., Charlotte Convention Center.














