Hoping everyone got their fill of turkey and family time over the Thanksgiving weekend. We're starting to see the Halloween decorations popping up around town, evidence that October is clipping right along.
Another successful year of the Unity Ag Society's annual Fall Fair and Trade Show took place Oct. 3 and 4. The event housed 60 trade show booths with 1,255 paid attendance folks coming in. This number does not include exhibitors and volunteers.
The fall fair hosted 88 exhibitors. That included 333 youth exhibits and 548 adult class exhibits for an impressive total of 881 exhibits upstairs in the venue.
The Saturday morning pancake breakfast sponsored and served by Delta Co-op and Unity Credit Union raised $864 for the STARS air ambulance, Saskatchewan operations.
Last week, in recognition of Fire Prevention Week, the local firefighters held an open house and barbecue following their annual trip to the schools to remind kids of the importance of fire safety. Judging by the support in the local paper and at the event itself, Unity is very proud of the dedication and commitment of our firefighters in the protection of our community and rural areas.
Remember, there is always room for some extra members in the fire hall so contact either the Town of Unity or the fire hall to see where you can help out.
There are handouts and signs everywhere notifying everyone of upcoming seasonal influenza immunization, which began Oct. 14. For more details on upcoming flu clinics, you can log onto the website www.hrha.sk.ca or call Health Line at 811 or your local public health office.
Did you know it's Co-op Week, and that includes Credit Union Day Oct. 16. These co-operatives in our community have banded together on several occasions to provide some hands-on help, to have some fun and to host a "Members Matter Most' promotion that ends in a treasure chest draw. The value of co-operatives in our communities is felt both in the economic benefits and their choices to give back to the communities they serve in a variety of ways.
Looking for another great way to enjoy a fabulous home cooked turkey supper? Look no further than your local churches and community groups. Unity United Church will hold their event Oct. 26 with St. Peter's Parish soon to follow. These are longstanding traditions in our communities and can only operate with the hands-on help of many volunteers and those people who support their efforts. It's a great price for a home cooked meal you can enjoy with your friends and neighbours. Don't miss out on this opportunity.
Ladies Night Out 2014 is looking for vendors, who will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. Contact Dixie Berki at 306-228-3227 to register. This is another wonderful event held in Unity that showcases home businesses and other vendors for some early Christmas shopping as well as a chance to share in fellowship with other ladies in the community over some refreshments.
Unity Public School missed their cross-country report last week and I apologize. Twenty kids made up this year's team and their season included several events including districts at Spiritwood. Reece Gilbert had another exceptional season with four first place finishes and one second place finish. At districts, the boy not only won gold with a time of 12:31 but also celebrated birthday number 12!
Other top 10 performers at districts included Camryn Favel, Graden Rusk and Shea Burger. Thanks also to Ms. Riddell for looking after the cross-country program.
Next up for UPS students is celebrating Education Week, volleyball and upcoming Halloween excitement. Tune in; we'll keep you posted.
Last week, we reported that on Oct. 28 the UCHS SADD committee is bringing in guest speaker Greg Drew. Please note that Drew will be speaking Oct. 29, not Oct. 18 and everyone is welcome to come to see his presentation starting at 9 a.m.
Besides Thanksgiving Monday, students have no school Oct. 20 and 21. Then it's nearly report card time as student-led conferences begin Nov. 4. Volleyball is more than halfway through its season. Senior teams compete in league play Tuesdays, while junior teams enjoy league play Wednesdays. Teams are preparing for upcoming district and conference playdowns coming soon. The drama club is also a good leg into their practices for this December's upcoming productions.
Congratulations to UCHS graduate Mackenzie Chorney who earned a substantial scholarship for her entrance into her electrical engineering program at SIAST in Moose Jaw. With the scholarships won by Allison Kuhn and Adam Wallace reported last week, and now this award for Mackenzie - UCHS, you're obviously doing something right here!
Kelsey Wildeman and Shelby Solomko competed with the University of Saskatchewan ladies' team this year with Kelsey in her third year and Shelby in her second. After going undefeated in the round robin of WCSA playoffs in Strathmore, Alta., Oct. 3 weekend, the team struggled in the one game that would take them to the final and ultimately earned a bronze in the Western Collegiate Softball Association championship. This medal, along with last year's win of this championship, secured the team a berth at the National Collegiate Championships that took place in Calgary Thanksgiving weekend.
Congratulations to Kelsey who won the First Team All-Star Centre Fielder Award at the WCSA awards portion of the western collegiate playoff weekend.
Remember the curling registration nights are slated for Oct. 14 and 15 starting at 7 p.m. in the curling rink lounge. New curlers are welcome; you can sign up as an individual or a team or a spare. They'll find a spot for you. Call the curling rink lounge at 306-228-2212 or check out their new Facebook page for the latest updates.
Unity Minor Football wrapped up their season the week of Oct. 6. Unity Black will be playing Thanksgiving Monday on the consolation side of the league and the Unity Red team held their own against a tough Plenty team but will now be playing for the B side of the UMF league, also on Thanksgiving Monday.
Thanks to all the coaches who contributed so much this season for the development of this program and these players in Unity. Something special to note here is that out of the two teams, who each had three coaches, only one coach was a parent to a child in the UMF program. All the rest were community coaches with no children in the program, making this a very impressive volunteer effort indeed and the parents and players both felt very fortunate to be the recipients of their dedication and commitment to their teams.
There is no lack of things to do in October. The trade show and "Raise the Woof" event took place Oct. 3 weekend. There are still plenty of posters advertising many more upcoming activities this month so be sure to check out these ads and try to support one or more of these upcoming events. It has often been said by visitors how they say they come to Unity because "there always seems to be something going on in Unity." Watch this column, or posters around town, for details on these upcoming activities.
Again, may I remind folks reading this column from near or far, there are a number of job opportunities listed in our local paper or on the Town of Unity website at www.townofunity.com. Check it out!
Coffee row is dissecting the Rider season -- weighing the pros and cons of Sunseri vs Deoge at QB, welcoming the news that Darian will return soon or trying to hide the puzzled looks at the announcement that 40-year-old Kerry Joseph has been brought back. All bits and pieces to add to the conversations at these coffee tables. So you see we keep busy in Unity with activities and wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next week.
