A graveyard of umbrellas at the DNC

Chris Moody
·Political Reporter

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Umbrellas are not allowed in the main arena during the Democratic National Convention, so delegates who arrived Tuesday in the pouring rain were asked to leave them at the security checkpoint.

Volunteers kept the umbrellas in plastic bags stored in cardboard boxes near the security checkpoint, while others lined them in rows along a side wall or hid them under nearby tables for safekeeping during the speeches.

But finding them afterward turned out to be easier said than done. After the session, volunteers dropped off the leftover umbrellas outside the door. With nearly 20,000 people packed into the Time Warner Cable Arena Tuesday night, it was near impossible to find the right one.

Delegates wandered the grounds late Tuesday night picking through the pile.

"I think I found mine!" one delegate said, picking up a black umbrella that looked like all the others. "Well, I found one that looks like mine."