Wednesday, December 20, 2006
For Immediate Release

West Charlotte Senior High Marching Lions Will Perform
At Halftime of Meineke Car Care Bowl

Charlotte, N.C. – The West Charlotte Senior High Marching Lions, known as “The Pride of the Queen City,” will perform during halftime of the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl. The band, under the leadership of Melvin Wright, has gained nationwide recognition for its electric performances. West Charlotte has won the National High School High Stepping Band Championship twice in the last four years, in addition to performing at the Nokia Sugar Bowl last year.

“We are very excited to have the West Charlotte Senior High Marching Lions perform during halftime of the Meineke Car Care Bowl,” said executive director Will Webb. “They are some of the most talented and entertaining groups in the country. The fact that they are a local group makes this performance even more special for everyone. Having a great marching band play during halftime of the Meineke Car Care Bowl really brings the game back to its core. It all just goes hand-in-hand.”

The 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl will take place on Saturday, December 30, at 1:00 p.m. and features Navy (9-3) against #23 Boston College (9-3). Televised nationally on ESPN, the game is played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Tickets for the game are on sale now. Upper Level Seats are priced at $30 and Lower Level Seats are $55. Individual tickets will be available only through TicketMaster. To purchase tickets, please visit any TicketMaster outlet in the southeast or online at www.ticketmaster.com. To order from TicketMaster by phone in Charlotte, call . Tickets are also available at the Carolina Panthers Box Office, located at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Club Level seats are only available through ticket and sponsorship packages. To purchase ticket and sponsorship packages, please call the Meineke Car Care Bowl office toll free at or online at meinekecarcarebowl.com.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl has averaged almost 64,000 fans each year and has sold out two of its four years. In addition, the game has reached over 6.5 million television households. In 2003, it was named one of the five-best start-ups in sports over the past five years by the Sports Business Journal, behind only the NFL Houston Texans and ESPN the Magazine.

The inaugural game, played on December 28, 2002 before a sold-out stadium, saw Virginia defeat West Virginia, 48-22. On December 27, 2003, Virginia once again claimed victory, this time over Pittsburgh, 23-16. The third year again produced a sellout, as Boston College defeated North Carolina, 37-24, on December 30, 2004. And last year, NC State defeated South Florida, 14-0, on December 31, 2005.

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