AA 2005 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
AA holds an international convention every five years and this year’s 2005 international convention was held at Toronto, Canada on July 1, 2, and 3. The Friday night opening flag ceremony was at Toronto’s Sky Dome where 50,000 cheering alcoholics from 90 different countries roared their approval. Bagpipes, bugles and drum corps performed as each country’s delegate presented their flag. Every country was given a warm welcome including Cuba, Iran, Russia and the People’s Republic of China. Alcoholics Anonymous is not associated with any sect, denomination or politics and that fact was strikingly evident as each country, no matter their politics, was warmly welcomed. One of Friday night’s speakers was a man named Pusham from Bombay, India. He thanked AA’s retiring Chairman of the Board Elaine Mc Dowell for doubling India’s AA membership during her administration. But, because India does “not yet” have any women members, Pusham made an impassioned plea to AA’s women around the world to come to his country and “Help bring India’s suffering women alcoholics from darkness, hopelessness and despair out of their hiding places into new hope, sunlight and sobriety.”
Toronto’s National Post, in their Saturday edition, ran full page stories about Alcoholics Anonymous while at the same time protected members anonymity by “not” publishing names. For three days, thousands of laughing people milled about the convention center wearing every conceivable ethnic dress and, as they passed each other on escalators they shouted greetings in every language. “Hoy Vey.” The gargantuan crowd was expected to consume 50,000 soft drinks, 50,000 juices and at least 75,000 bottles of water and only the Higher Power knows how much food was consumed? The nearby Steam Whistle Brewery was temporarily converted into an ice cream parlor and deli for the duration of the convention and it was estimated this convention would add at least $47 million to Toronto’s economy.
Saturday night Mr. and Mrs. Barleycorn dined at Toronto’s CN Tower 360 restaurant and as they consumed their three-tiered seafood delight and prime steaks, the restaurant rotated 360 degrees giving us a full panoramic view of Lake Ontario and Toronto. During our exquisite dining experience two wooden gaff rigged schooners each sporting three masts and large bow sprits, sailed into Toronto’s harbor and dropped their billowing white sails; it was a treat that almost topped our raspberry cheesecake.
AA’s next international convention will be held on July 1, 2, and 3, 2010 at San Antonio, Texas and God willing Barleycorn will be there to bring you another laugh by laugh account of the festivities.
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