O, Canada!
Halifax man on a quest to sing national anthem 150 times in 2017.
Peter Baylis is on a patriotic mission.
As a tribute to Canada’s 150th birthday, Baylis has set his sights on completing a goal of singing the national anthem 150 times while raising money for Feed Nova Scotia.
“I wanted to contribute to Canada’s 150th,” the Halifax Mooseheads anthem singer explained. “It just dawned on me while I watching the news because there was a piece on the birthday; I wanted to participate and said ‘I will give this a shot.’”
“It’s a daunting task but I think I can achieve it.”
Already this month, Baylis sang the anthem 14 times at various locations in the city including the Central Library, Point Pleasant Park and Halifax Shopping Centre.
For his 15th performance, Baylis dropped into the Metro Halifax office on Tuesday afternoon.
The community is also doing their part to help Baylis reach his goal.
He has been invited to events such as the Dartmouth Whalers game at the Dartmouth Sportsplex on Saturday and six convocation ceremonies at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) in June.
“It can be anywhere - an event, at a party, a barbeque anything,” he said. “If you just ask and if I can be there, I will definitely make it.”
“If I get to a situation where I am getting low on numbers, then I will do what I call ‘guerilla anthem’ where I drop into places.”
Wherever Baylis sings the anthem, the passion for his native country resonates with each note and word.
“I have travelled across this country so many times and I am very proud of my country in that we are unique as Canadians,” he expressed.