The countdown continues until London hosts the 2019 JUNO awards next March, but one of the celebration’s first crystal sculpturettes has arrived in the Forest City.
Allan Reid, president and CEO of the JUNOS, presented Mayor Matt Brown with the host city JUNO award Monday morning at Museum London, where it’s now on display for the public.
“The JUNOS have been travelling all across the country since 2002, and the cities do an incredible job of not just hosting the JUNOS but also making a commitment to arts and culture, and music education,” said Reid.
The host city JUNO award was only created in 2015, and has since travelled to Hamilton, Calgary, Ottawa, and Vancouver, before landing in London. Each host city name is etched in the base of the sculpturette, which was originally designed by Stoney Creek’s Shirley Elford.
“She used to hand blow all of our statuettes out of glass. Over 2,000 of them she did, it was incredible.”
Elford has since passed away, but Reid said they’ve honoured her original design with laser etched trophies by Crystal Sensations.
“I never thought I’d be holding one of these,” Brown told a small crowd gathered at Museum London, as Reid passed him the statuette.
“London is so excited about welcoming the JUNOS to our community next year… this is going to not just be the JUNOS, JUNO Week, but JUNO year.”
Chris Campbell, the chair of London’s JUNO host committee, says they’re “very busy” doing the planning for events throughout London that’ll happen over the next several months as part of JUNO festivities.
“We’ve been working on some very significant leadup events, some large events, a lot of events that London has never seen before,” he explained.
“We’re going to completely seize every moment of this.”
The 48th annual JUNOS awards show will take place at Budweiser Gardens on March 17, with week-long festivities throughout the city.
Leading up to the event, $1 from every ticket sold to shows at Budweiser Gardens, Centennial Hall and the London Music Hall will go toward MusiCounts — a music education charity that provides musical instruments to children.
It’s the first time the awards show is coming to the Forest City since it began touring the country in 2002.
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