District is creeping up on us. In seven weeks, we will be going to Halifax to defend our Small Chorus Championship, improve our scores over 2004, and give winning a shot.

We have a number of milestones to hit before then. Let’s start by refreshing our two contest songs. They sounded pretty good on Monday evening, but we need to have "the gang" in attendance.

Mark you calendar and be there! We are going back to the Ermitage St-Croix, 21269 Gouin Blvd., Pierrefonds, where we had such a great time last year. The food was great, the rooms were great, the singing was great, the fellowship was great. The only thing missing was a grate. This year we are going to be there one week in advance of contest weekend. This should give us the opportunity to peak at just the right time.

If you are one of the flyers, you will need to pay for your ticket before the end of August, since the flight will be on September 30, 2005. The remaining cost is approx. $192 [fuel surcharges may apply.] Canjet flight 112 leaves Montreal at 9:30 AM. The limousine will cost $10 per person each way.

If you are driving to Halifax, the 1250-km trip will take about 13 hours of driving. Take route 20 to Rivière-de-Loup, route 185 sud to Edmundston and follow the TransCanada to Nova Scotia Route 102. Follow the signs for Halifax and take the Angus L. MacDonald Bridge. Take the Barrington exit and turn right on Sackville St. then left onto Grafton, On our recent trip it cost about $175 in gas to drive to and from Halifax. Your mileage may vary. The Residence Inn is at 1599 Grafton St., Halifax, NS B3J 2C3.

These instructions will be repeated at a later date.

Now you can order online, get the best seat available – and know TODAY where you'll be sitting next summer. For its 2006 conventions -- midwinter in Sacramento and the international convention in Indy -- the Barbershop Harmony Society has teamed with etix.com (http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/faq.html)to make purchasing convention registrations a snap.

Now you can use your credit card (VISA, MasterCard, AmEx, Discover) anytime to purchase convention registrations and select your seat.

Go to www.barbershop.org/indy for live links to etix and maps.

Download a hard-copy form online at http://www.barbershop.org/indy-registration-form, or look for it in The Harmonizer.

Ticketing for additional shows (World Harmony Jamboree, College Quartet Contest, Harmony Foundation Presents…) will be offered at a later date.

A new look to go with the re-established barbershop.org domain name.

The Society has owned and maintained the barbershop.org domain for years, but opted to keep our primary web identity attached to our flagship initials. Now, with the rollout of a new brand and new visual identity, it's time to update our web presence too.

Here is our current repertoire list: [mp3] means that the mp3 file is on the Members' Only web site