Last Official Parchment of the Emperor - HMISM Emperor 1 Martin Storm - The Canadian 1

Greetings and welcome to the 2nd Annual Coronation Ball  A Night of Imperial Challenge  Outlast the Final Survivor.
Tonight for me is a culmination of 16 years of hard work, some disappointments and some great victories. Those of you that know me well, know of what I am talking. It has been a privilege and honor to have served as the elected Emperor of Surrey, and to have the distinct pride of being the first. Yes I made mistakes, but then who among us is perfect; I learned from them as I hope my fellow courtiers have also.
Let me first say that I send OUR best wishes to The Imperial Court of Spokane Wa, Mark, Rob and Courtney on your Coronation weekend. It is unfortunate that both weekends ended being on the same date . With 70 courts it was inevitable that this conflict would happen at some point. I would like to thank ALL of you that decided to make sure that both cities got credible and great support. Let's make sure this never happens again.
To my best friend of almost 10 years, ROB  I thank you for indulging me in this decision to be Emperor. Thank you for your belief in my devotion and capabilities of serving the community of Surrey and getting it to flourish again. Also thank you so much for the sacrifices you made over the last 7 years to make sure the OIS stayed in existence and that I could fulfill my obligations during this reign. For a person who can take or leave this “court” stuff, you have certainly stood by my side in more ways than I could have asked for. Your Laughter and sense of humor made many laugh at some difficult moments at home and on tour. Thank you for allowing me to experience this, and to the next person that asks if I have a title, I will respond with the number 12 and the number 1 - !!!!!!!!!!  - I respect you and am looking forward to just being your friend and room mate again, and to have some sort of friendship with you and the family and friends.
To my Empress: - Taylor what can I say. We have known each other for over 12 years. When I asked you to run for the title of Ms Gay Surrey 1 in 2000 you responded yes. Then I came back and asked if you would run for Empress to be with me as a team - It is so great to have the opportunity to Reign with a friend and someone you have known all that time  we have been through the highs and lows over those 12 years and here we are standing together tonight as a testament that friends that respect each other can do this successfully together. It saddens me that people can take advantage of weaknesses and turn them into opportunities to destroy a person's character. But you came through and found the strength to stick it out. This night is for you as well as me and of course for our community. I am so proud to be your Emperor. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Elaine  Now you get Vern back. Thank you for trusting me with your son for the past year. I love and respect you and thanks for all the encouragement this year.
Of course we could not have done this without the support of two very loyal and hardworking individuals  our Imperial Crown Prince and Princess, Bruce and Melissa.
Bruce I have known you for many years and you have been a loyal friend and supporter of Out in Surrey, the Barony and now the Court. Thank you for taking the ride with us, more than that, thank you for being such a friend and confidant.
Melissa  well my neighbor and now a true friend and I think of you as the Sister I never had. Who would ever have believed a little more than a year ago when were be sipping wine in your back yard, and then you took on the greatest challenge of your personal life and did the 60K walk to end Cancer. When you made the statement that night, “If you are going to the Emperor of Surrey, then you must understand that being the Emperor of Surrey is representing the full community of Surrey and not only the GLBT community. I would be proud to have you as my Emperor!”  You have NO idea what that did for me. I hope I did you proud and thanks so much for stepping up to the plate and showing us what an Imperial Crown Princess is all about. We have been so lucky to have both of you as our Imperial Crown Prince and Princess this year. We remained committed to the main goal and just dealt with the blows and did it as a true team.
To the community of Surrey: I hope now you understand why I fought for this; once I committed to the start of Society and the Barony. This organization has donated so much to Charity over the past 6 years that our city would never have had otherwise  OIS was founded so we could get some networking within the GLBT community out here and from there it has grown and grown, and even though you might have thought we were all about our own egos  we have achieved a remarkable milestone over the years. Thank you for continuing to support the concept and the fundraisers. Remember without you we would be nothing, yes we can entertain ourselves until the cows come home, but that in itself does not put Christmas Hampers together, or help victims of a Tsunami, nor assist those in Mexico who die of HIV/AIDS be buried with dignity. Nor does it help Survivors of Cancer or HIV or help the children in hospital or the struggling Youth of our city. Onya, No one but you can know the sacrifice you made to allow for the Imperial Court to be here now  thank you. Robert and Paige, and all of you that have held the many titles over the years  Thank you for the commitment you made and I hope one day you will all step up to the plate and become the Monarchs I know you can all be. Wayne  remember first of all be true to yourself and everything else will fall into place. Rose  Hero's are, and I am so proud to wear your purple heart pin. Thanks for your spirit and you support and respect. Good luck tonight! And NEVER CHANGE! Robynn, Plastika, Alexis  thank you. Gerry, thank you for being treasurer this year again. Your ability to see things clearly is a benefit to this organization. Keep up the good work. Ramona  Les Grandes Dames  Thank you for your belief in what we do and your support. Days Hotel Surrey  Right from the beginning you welcomed us with open arms. Any city would be happy and proud to have a hotel staff like this to work with. We are thrilled to have this special relationship with you. Robert and Bruce  when Taylor and I came up with the idea of the Surrey Youth Alliance, you both stepped up to the plate and made sure that we had adult experienced supervision for our Drop in Center  Thanks for being such great role models for our Youth. To the Youth of Surrey  we embraced you and you returned the favor in return. Thank you all for allowing us to give you a Youth Court and a drop in center. You are the future and you are all handling your titles with Pride and dignity.
Also remember, it's the Alliances you make along the way that help you become the FINAL SURVIVOR.

Now Mama Jose told me not to have half Emperors and Empresses however with all the courts and traveling this day and age I did heed that request we called you E & E 1.5's. Thanks to the 4 of you for being there to represent us in the Empires that we could not travel to. Michael Sousa  Hugs to you, love your style and energy. From the day we me we had a connection thank you for just being you. Chris Holgren  Met you many years ago, remember that faux pas? A Great Man, a Great Emperor and not too hard to look at!!!!!!!!
Greetings and welcome to the 2nd Annual Coronation Ball  A Night of Imperial Challenge  Outlast the Final Survivor.
Tonight for me is a culmination of 16 years of hard work, some disappointments and some great victories. Those of you that know me well, know of what I am talking. It has been a privilege and honor to have served as the elected Emperor of Surrey, and to have the distinct pride of being the first. Yes I made mistakes, but then who among us is perfect; I learned from them as I hope my fellow courtiers have also.
Let me first say that I send OUR best wishes to The Imperial Court of Spokane Wa, Mark, Rob and Courtney on your Coronation weekend. It is unfortunate that both weekends ended being on the same date . With 70 courts it was inevitable that this conflict would happen at some point. I would like to thank ALL of you that decided to make sure that both cities got credible and great support. Let's make sure this never happens again.
To my Partner of almost 10 years, ROB  I thank you for indulging me in this decision to be Emperor. Thank you for your belief in my devotion and capabilities of serving the community of Surrey and getting it to flourish again. Also thank you so much for the sacrifices you made over the last 7 years to make sure the OIS stayed in existence and that I could fulfill my obligations during this reign. For a person who can take or leave this “court” stuff, you have certainly stood by my side in more ways than I could have asked for. Your Laughter and sense of humor made many laugh at some difficult moments at home and on tour. Thank you for allowing me to experience this, and to the next person that asks if I have a title, I will respond with the number 12 and the number 1 - !!!!!!!!!!  - I love you and am looking forward to just being your partner again, and to have some sort of personal life with you and the family and friends.
To my Empress: - Taylor what can I say. We have known each other for over 12 years. When I asked you to run for the title of Ms Gay Surrey 1 in 2000 you responded yes. Then I came back and asked if you would run for Empress to be with me as a team - It is so great to have the opportunity to Reign with a friend and someone you have known all that time  we have been through the highs and lows over those 12 years and here we are standing together tonight as a testament that friends that respect each other can do this successfully together. It saddens me that people can take advantage of weaknesses and turn them into opportunities to destroy a person's character. But you came through and found the strength to stick it out. This night is for you as well as me and of course for our community. I am so proud to be your Emperor. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Elaine  Now you get Vern back. Thank you for trusting me with your son for the past year. I love and respect you and thanks for all the encouragement this year.
Of course we could not have done this without the support of two very loyal and hardworking individuals  our Imperial Crown Prince and Princess, Bruce and Melissa.
Bruce I have known you for many years and you have been a loyal friend and supporter of Out in Surrey, the Barony and now the Court. Thank you for taking the ride with us, more than that, thank you for being such a friend and confidant.
Melissa  well my neighbor and now a true friend and I think of you as the Sister I never had. Who would ever have believed a little more than a year ago when were be sipping wine in your back yard, and then you took on the greatest challenge of your personal life and did the 60K walk to end Cancer. When you made the statement that night, “If you are going to the Emperor of Surrey, then you must understand that being the Emperor of Surrey is representing the full community of Surrey and not only the GLBT community. I would be proud to have you as my Emperor!”  You have NO idea what that did for me. I hope I did you proud and thanks so much for stepping up to the plate and showing us what an Imperial Crown Princess is all about. We have been so lucky to have both of you as our Imperial Crown Prince and Princess this year. We remained committed to the main goal and just dealt with the blows and did it as a true team.
To the community of Surrey: I hope now you understand why I fought for this; once I committed to the start of Society and the Barony. This organization has donated so much to Charity over the past 6 years that our city would never have had otherwise  OIS was founded so we could get some networking within the GLBT community out here and from there it has grown and grown, and even though you might have thought we were all about our own egos  we have achieved a remarkable milestone over the years. Thank you for continuing to support the concept and the fundraisers. Remember without you we would be nothing, yes we can entertain ourselves until the cows come home, but that in itself does not put Christmas Hampers together, or help victims of a Tsunami, nor assist those in Mexico who die of HIV/AIDS be buried with dignity. Nor does it help Survivors of Cancer or HIV or help the children in hospital or the struggling Youth of our city. Onya, No one but you can know the sacrifice you made to allow for the Imperial Court to be here now  thank you. Robert and Paige, and all of you that have held the many titles over the years  Thank you for the commitment you made and I hope one day you will all step up to the plate and become the Monarchs I know you can all be. Wayne  remember first of all be true to yourself and everything else will fall into place. Rose  Hero's are, and I am so proud to wear your purple heart pin. Thanks for your spirit and you support and respect. Good luck tonight! And NEVER CHANGE! Robynn, Plastika, Alexis  thank you. Gerry, thank you for being treasurer this year again. Your ability to see things clearly is a benefit to this organization. Keep up the good work. Ramona  Les Grandes Dames  Thank you for your belief in what we do and your support. Days Hotel Surrey  Right from the beginning you welcomed us with open arms. Any city would be happy and proud to have a hotel staff like this to work with. We are thrilled to have this special relationship with you. Robert and Bruce  when Taylor and I came up with the idea of the Surrey Youth Alliance, you both stepped up to the plate and made sure that we had adult experienced supervision for our Drop in Center  Thanks for being such great role models for our Youth. To the Youth of Surrey  we embraced you and you returned the favor in return. Thank you all for allowing us to give you a Youth Court and a drop in center. You are the future and you are all handling your titles with Pride and dignity.
Also remember, it's the Alliances you make along the way that help you become the FINAL SURVIVOR.

Now Mama Jose told me not to have half Emperors and Empresses however with all the courts and traveling this day and age I did heed that request we called you E & E 1.5's. Thanks to the 4 of you for being there to represent us in the Empires that we could not travel to. Michael Sousa  Hugs to you, love your style and energy. From the day we me we had a connection thank you for just being you. Chris Holgren  Met you many years ago, remember that faux pas? A Great Man, a Great Emperor and not too hard to look at!!!!!!!!

Mama Jose  13 years ago we met in Boise. I have so much respect for you and for your concept of the Court System. It gives us the opportunity to take on the responsibility and role play of real life Monarchs, not only in our Kingdoms, but in the open community also. Thank you Your Majesty for giving Surrey the opportunity of being a part of this great international community of friends. May God give you the health to continue for many years to come. You are always welcome in our Kingdom. I cannot express my gratitude to you for all the encouragement and advice over the years. We are so thrilled to have you with us again this year. Michael D  There is nothing I can say about you that has not been said before  There are very few Emperors that I have as role models and you along with Barry are at the top of the list. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for me and Surrey, and the trust you put in me  I hope that you and Seattle are Proud of how we have come along over the years.
The Lovely Suzanne  What a great support to Surrey when it was not “cool” to do so. You advised and we listened and then you with Michael went to bat for us. Suzanne you will always be someone I will respect for your support of Surrey.
Barry Nichol  The first Emperor that I ever knew  Thank you for being the person you are, The Emperor you still are and the true friend you have come to be. Thank you for stepping in and being there to make sure that Taylor and I and the Court has the ball night that we all deserve.
Lyle Sandy  Thank you for the Honor of Honorary White Chief all those years ago  Wanda is with us this evening and I am so proud to be the only Honorary White Chief to have been given a bonnet that is on our dais with Pride tonight.
Alec Efonoff  Thank you for loaning Melissa to us this year. Who would ever thought when you came by to say the chimney was on fire that we would become such good friends and neighbors. And the road trip to Fresno!!!!!! Camp Fresno!!!!!!! Alex  you took us by storm at straight to drag and your performance that evening was so professional. It was such a huge part of the evening to have a 12 year old show us how it could be done, now my community can see the special talents you possess with your performance tonight.
Larry S  Thank you for your friendship and Karaoke Skills. It is primarily because of you that I am singing live tonight. Thank you also for singing the Canadian Anthem and looking after the sound for us. Thank you my friend and thank you and Jane and Deena for giving me a retreat to go to once a week to get away from it all. It is an honor to have you and your family as true friends.
Dean Dusty Ryane  Meeting you changed my life. Spending 8 years with you was something I would never change. You taught me so much and I learned so much during your Reign as Empress of Vancouver BC. It was during those years that I got to meet so many people and the opportunity to learn so much about the ICS and life in general. That experience has served me well this year. Thanks for house sitting and your support this year. Thanks also for making sure I got where I needed to!!!!!!!
Lori Robins  Thank you so much for making sure you got included. You have been a rock both personally and for the society on many occasions. I know how much of a sacrifice you made, thank you. Also thank you for taking care of the table sets for us tonight. Bill Robins  You are such a wonderful man. You stepped in last year and organized the sound and lights for us. This year you made sure that we had what we needed for the effects for this weekend. I cannot thank you enough for your devotion, knowledge and loyalty.

Now to the Reign and my travels out of town   I had the pleasure of traveling to the following Empires: 
The G.V.N.C.S.  Thank you for all the years of support for Surrey. John Taylor and Jaylene - Thanks for everything.
Portland, Scoty and Lotta  Again thank you for your friendship and thanks for coming to help make the Emperor's Turnabout and Straight to Drag the single highest fundraiser in the history of Surrey. Teran, thanks for the loan of the Coat for turnabout. I have known so many of the Rose Emperors and Empresses over the years and it is so nice to have 2 new friends from the Rose City. Hurricane and Frank  thank you both for being here tonight also. Suzanne, The Lovely Suzanne what can I say that has not already been said about you. Thanks for ALL the support of Surrey from the very beginning when it was not popular to do so. I will treasure that all my life. Antony  you are one great person. LaLa 2 and Chris, thanks for introducing yourselves to us in Portland. Never could I have imagined the friendship that would develop   - I love you two.
Boston  Kevin of the Far East  thank you for being so helpful in troubled times. We had a great weekend on my first visit to the East Coast. Peter and Verna  wow what a power couple  thanks for the warmth and hospitality over Coronation weekend and the friendship that developed over the year.
Las Vegas  Aunt Betty  what a hoot. Thanks for the honor of being your nephew. Thanks to Steve Nokes and Richard for your hospitality over that weekend. Pia, another great friendship was made that weekend. Thanks for the pin and we are proud to have Chicago as our Brother Court. YG and Carlotta  thank you two so much for everything. Bob S  you are one hot leather bear! Martin Storm the Desert One  so good to see you out and about again this year. Tracey, It was great getting to know you and now I have more respect for you after Denver  Thanks for letting me in. Michael Pantageus, Helen Twelve Trees, Viva Las Vegas.
Bellingham, My home away from Home. So many there to mention; Krisstail and Peter Storm  we have been around the block many times together and I am so glad to have you both as friends and mentors. Betty Desires  always supporter of everything good in life. Peter thanx for receiving all my parcels!!!!!!!!
Houston, my first ever trip to the state of Texas and what a blast. Shelby  thanks for all you did for us. Rob and I had a great time in your city. Daryll thank you for letting me get to know you. Shelby  hope you can be here tonight. Christopher and Jackie  would love to have seen more of you. Chris Beck - woooooof
San Francisco, Celebrating the 40th Anniversary was an honor. China and Fernando  you guys were great. It was so nice to meet up with so many people that I hadn't seen for years or in fact met before. John Richards and Tiger Lily  wow  hugs and thanks for all the good times. You two have been so supportive JR, thanks for all the hugs and support.
Seattle, What can I say about Seattle. First off, thank you for taking the risk and trusting us with a Barony. Thank you also for the mentoring and the elevation to Imperial Sovereign Court. You will always be our Parent Court in my eyes. Michael D  once again that you for being there in private lonely times to offer positive advice and support. Martin Storm The Original One  thank you for the room to be the Canadian 1. Rene and Asia  thank you for being so supportive and for the friendship. Asia  Thank you so much for all the little talks over the year. Aleska Manila  WOW WOW WOW  you are truly a work of beauty  and having gotten to know you better in Salt Lake City and sing that duet with you  you are the Quadruple Threat  and I look forward to the day the you Honor Seattle with running for Empress, should you choose to do that. You take my breath away.
Vancouver BC, - where do I start. Vancouver was my home town on moving from Dublin Ireland in 1986. I became involved in the Court in 1989 and had the honor of being the 12th elected Mr Gay Vancouver BC in 1991. I would like to thank the people of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Dogwood Empire that have been there for me over those years. Some still are, some came on board in the past year or so and some still remain questioning my motives. I had no alterior motives and I still have none  the only motive was to help the city of Surrey and area to have an open and vibrant gay community, for those out in the valley that needed or wanted support. So thank  you to you all for giving me the opportunity and space to make this happen. There are too many names to mention so you know that I know who you all are. Thanks Vancouver, BC.Mz Adrien  you have been so helpful, Bruce Antecol, Jeff Godstone thanks for learning the Irish National Anthem for tonight. Sushi Bar, JD Rene and Marcel, Emperor Jules and Empress Estie, Empress Vivian and Emperor Buster Cherry, Miss Wllie, English, Joan E, Myria Le Noir, WaWa.Denver, What a great city in the Rock mountains. Kiki and Paul  you guys took me in and what a difference that made to my year. Kiki, I am so happy to have you hear tonight. Kent Epperson, my first Denver Monarch to really know thanks! Nina  you never cease to amaze me. Brad Busby  thank you
Vancouver Wa, Dwight  our little North West Tornado  sorry it took so long to get to know each other. You really are a great person and I was thrilled to be in Vancouver for you. To William and Sheila  thanks for all the good times.
Fresno, The 14 hr drive was fun. We got to initiate Alec into Camp Fresno and it was a lot of fun. John Pace, Tawney Towers  what a fun night. Blunder after blunder for us in Fresno, but we made it through. Deneka  what a riot  eat that ass gurl! LOL. It is so good to have you Montana with us this evening. Thanks for your hospitality on our trip.
Salt Lake City- waited 14 years to get there and WOW. The hospitality and welcome was amazing. Mike Sperry, Syren, Mike, Paris  what a team. Bobby Childers thank you so much for your knowledge and advice. Mike Sperry, we are so alike in some ways. Really enjoyed our conversations over the past year. Thanks for your hospitality on the Monday. To Reign 30  “Peter” Jester Savas and Kristina, Alfredo and Kennedy Cartier  what a team you all are. The entertainment in Salt Lake was phenomenal right through to the Victory Show. Deneka, Nikki Coldwater, Aleksa Manila  you guys ROCK. That was such a riot in Dennys! Just ask any one of the “apostles” that were there! Bobby Childers and Paris  Thanks for the advice and support  for my concept. Frank and Courtney, see I finally made it to Salt Lake  You are my Angel!!!!!!! LOL.
Boise  Brooke Tyler  what can one say, beautiful, entertaining and a huge heart. We met in Portland and from then we were friends. You are and always will be very special in my heart, remember the 2 skinny ones won the FAT title in Denver. Thank you so much for the Award, which was only an added bonus to the honor and privilege of being able to stand by your side. Thanks for being here for us tonight. To Ev and Petr(Natasha)  real people, thanks for your hospitality over the weekend. To all of you that saw all of me  well let's just leave it at that  LOL. Jack E of Reno  who else would it be  We crossed each other's paths many times since last year. Thank you for the laughs, the jibes  Say Hi to Larry for me. Thank you also for the little talks!
San Diego, Well its been some 4 years since I got to San Diego and I am so glad to have gone back this year. Katriona Yen, Brittany, Nicole and all others from San Diego  thank for all the hospitality over the years. Chris and Lala Too  what a great team you two are  an example that a real life couple can do this. Again we met in Portland and after that spent so much time together during the year. I love you both and I look forward to a continued friendship for a long time to come. To Nathan and Ophelia, you have very big shoes to fill, and I know you can get the job done and keep San Diego as one of the Premier Courts in our beloved ICS.
Anchorage, Jake  Emperor 32 of Alaska  what a friend and brother Emperor you are to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed our travels together and I hope our friendship continues. Kristara  I have grown to love you and enjoyed spending time with you throughout the year. Sister Mary Sunshine  Vikki! You are unique and I have grown to love and admire you for many reasons. I will never forget Denver, in the lobby after the ball. Joanie  how nice to see you again-u look great!
Eldon  thanks for the years of friendship and talks  love you much. Scott Turner  hugs and too bad that you cannot be with us tonight. To the newly elected Monarchs  Denali Emperor 33 Jerry Baltazar and Aurora Empress 33 Salmon Ella  Congrats, you two are right on the edge  good luck. Jerry & Malcolm, thanks for the hospitality and that hot tub was so relaxing!!! Hope to see you both soon. And to be Emperor of almost None of Bear  wow!

There were many Empires that we could not get to this year and so many people to say thanks to. If by chance you are not mentioned here I apologize  nothing personal, but here are some of the people that touched me in some special way during the Reign ( and NO not all of you got to touch me that way) ! Jenuwine, Lady Chablis, Ashley, Rhani and all of Tacoma  the home of my first title PSML 1990. It is so good to see Tacoma represented tonight. Steve and Marquita(Ogden), Traila Trash and the ICNY  what fun you all are. Gefil congrats on your election  looking forward to seeing you again soon. Marc (Colorado Springs), Kevin (St Catherines), Sabrina(Winnipeg), Erica (Calgary)-Well Now Surrey and we are thrilled to have you here, Thank you for all your support and encouragement. Dan (CRP Reno), Hell On and Cori, Teran Tru You, Deneka and Niyah  just couldn't pull Alameda  so sorry! Jenu-wine Beaute  It is a sin that you cannot be with us tonight  but do know that we will be thinking of you! Thank you so much for the many talks throughout the reign. Oh in case I am about to state the obvious  YOU ARE A DIVA.. If there was an ICS entertainer of the year  there are only a very few of you that could ever be up for it last year. You Empresses entertained us all across the circuit this year!
I have had the distinct honor of being welcomed with open arms throughout the System, and the pleasure or renewing old friendships and acquaintances and meeting a lot of new people and new friends and acquaintances, that I will treasure for the rest of my life. This is one of the most wonderful experiences of one's life and I have no regrets. Once again I want to thank each and every one that touched my life in the past 12 months specifically, because each one of you left something with me that has helped me grow to be a better person. Thanks to you all, Surrey is in a much better place than it was before our watch.
.
To use a famous Yugoslavian quote  “We only part to meet again”

I remain
The Founding Monarch of the Barony of Surrey/Delta,
Nephew to Aunt Betty, Emperor of Hog (Fat) 2005

The First Elected Emperor of the Imperial Sovereign Court of Surrey, Empire of the Peace Arch,
His Imperial Majesty
Absolute Peace Emperor 1
Martin