Come to Ontario this October for North America’s Flag Conference

We’d like to pass along this invitation from NAVA’s Ken Reynolds.  (And please note that early-bird registration ends in less than a month.)

Hello everyone,

I hope that each of you will consider attending NAVA‘s 49th annual meeting from October 16-18, 2015.  It’s been a dozen years since the Association held its annual meeting in Canada (NAVA 37, Montréal, 2003) and, as you likely already know, Ottawa has been chosen as the site for NAVA 49.  I’m very excited to be able to act as the local host organizer for NAVA 49 and to be able to welcome you to my adopted hometown and to our nation’s capital.  It is a particularly special year, vexillologically-speaking, for Canada in that 2015 is the 50th anniversary year of the maple leaf national flag adopted in 1965, a fact that will be reflected in the location, site visits, and some of the presentations delivered.

This year’s meeting will be located at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel, in the downtown core, close to Parliament Hill, the National Gallery of Canada, the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as other interesting sites, and a wide variety of shopping venues.  In addition to a selection of strong and interesting papers on vexillology, we also have other exciting things planned for NAVA 49.  Dr. Claire Boudreau, the Chief Herald of Canada, as well as some of her staff, will deliver the Preble Lecture on the subject of the “Flag Creation Process” as part of the Canadian Heraldic Authority’s granting of arms to municipalities, individuals, etc.  This will be followed by the Presidents’ Reception at the Sussex Salon on the 27th floor of the Ottawa Marriott Hotel.  A site visit has been arranged to the Canadian Museum of History (formerly the Canadian Museum of Civilization) where guests will be able to explore more on the background of the Canadian national flag as well as other flag-related material.  The Whitney Smith Dinner will be held in the beautiful Summit Room on the 29th floor of the Ottawa Marriott Hotel with its 360-degree view of the National Capital Region.  Robert Labonté, a federal public servant, will be the dinner speaker and will discuss his role as the individual who raises, lowers, and replaces the Canadian flags atop the Peace Tower on the Parliament Building on a daily basis.

Registration for NAVA 49 is well underway, with early-bird registration rates running through August 4, before the rates begin to increase.  Please remember, if you’re American, that you require a US passport card, US passport, or NEXUS card to enter Canada (which one depends upon the means of arrival)–but Americans don’t need a visa.  Citizens of other nations can find out about their entry requirements on the relevant website of the Canadian government.  This, and further details on NAVA 49–including how to register–can be found on the meeting’s webpage on the NAVA website.  And, you can email me at nava49@nava.org as well.

I hope to see you here in Ottawa this October!

Cheers,

Ken

Ken Reynolds, PhD
Member | Membre
Program Committee | Comité de programme
North American Vexillological Association | Association nord-américaine de vexillologie
nava49@nava.org