[From the Ontario District's newsletter, The Trillium, issue 60-03, July - September, 2006 , Waldo Redekop, editor.]

Toronto 2013

Now the excitement begins

By Rob Arnold, 2013 International Convention chair

After 50 years of absence the Barbershop Harmony Society will be returning to Toronto for the International convention and competition in July of 2013. At this years convention in Indianapolis, the Society Board approved the recommendation of the Society Events Committee and awarded the 2013 convention (also the 75th Anniversary of the Society) to the city of Toronto, bringing to conclusion many months of bidding, presenting and negotiating with local hotels and facilities.

The competition site will be the Air Canada Centre and the headquarters hotel will be the Harbour Castle Westin.

The City of Toronto, through the Toronto Tourism Board, were instrumental in the negotiations with the ACC and the hotels in making this bid so attractive. Many members of both the events committee and the Society Board commented that this was the easiest decision they made all week.

Even though the event is still over six years away, plans are already starting to take place in the creation of the steering committee and business development, with the goal of having the best-attended and most exciting convention in the history of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone in the Ontario District for the support and encouragement during the bidding process, specifically to The Authentics for showing up at 6:30 a.m. at the Royal York Hotel on the Monday morning following our spring convention to sing for the site-visit committee from Kenosha.

Also, thanks to Darryl Marchant for his work in putting shirts together so the staff of the Royal York Hotel involved in the site-visit had Barbershop Harmony Society T-shirts on during the visit as well.

The congratulations after the announcement that we won was made have also been very appreciated and I thank everyone that has taken the time to pass on their thoughts and kind words. Special thanks go to Ted Devonshire for approaching me over two-years ago to start this process. Ted’s (and subsequently the district House of Delegates’) confidence in my abilities to do this job has meant a lot to me.

I look forward to serving as the convention chairman and can’t wait to show off Toronto and the Ontario District in 2013.  As Gord Heath said to me “Maybe 13 is our lucky number!”     k