[From the Ontario District's newsletter, The Trillium, issue 60-01, January - March, 2006 , Waldo Redekop, editor.]

Burlington Chapter will be missed

By Al Holden

It is never an easy job being the bearer of bad news.  However, after 48 years of operation, the Burlington Roadshow has found itself in a position where it must close the doors on one of Ontario’s finest chapters.

With four district championships under its belt, Roadshow, in its glory days, was the envy of numerous choruses in the district.  I have heard it said many times that the chapter the Dukes feared most at competition was Roadshow.

Roadshow formally wound up its charter as of December 31, 2005.  The executive team agreed to stay on board after that day to ensure that all the legal and Society requirements are dealt with in an efficient manner.

While this is a sad day for the current members of the Roadshow chorus, we can all hold our heads high, not only in light of our past, but also in light of the number of Barbershoppers we have seeded into other chapters.  If we look at numbers alone there is more than 30 ex-Roadshow men active in other district chapters.  We have also been in touch with Grimsby, Hamilton and Oakville who have extended open invitations to our remaining members to come out to their chapters to continue in this great hobby of ours.

I personally have been honoured to have had the opportunity to sing with such a great chorus where both harmony and friendship rang loud and strong.  I encourage all our past members to continue their barbershop experience.

I would also like to say a public thank you to George Staples.  He has done so much to encourage and preserve barbershopping, not only in Burlington but in the entire Peninsula Division.  His unending dedication and devotion to barbershopping is to be commended.

Likewise Bruce Bonnyman for his two-years of unfaltering support as a short-term interim director.  I guess no one ever did define “short term” for Bruce, however his love for our hobby kept Roadshow going over these last 24 months and his commitment is greatly appreciated.

Although the verse message is not upbeat, the tag still is.

 “We love to sing that old barbershop style.”     k