Will someone tell Mother Nature to open the darn gate and let that lamb out? After another cold and windy weekend of more poor driving conditions, we are certainly more than ready for spring to arrive!
The curling rink held their final windup bonspiel last weekend. The Top 5 rinks who won cash prizes in this event were: Glen Heitt, Brent Heitt, Marlowe Rask, Martin Boser and Shelby Solomko. The annual big screen TV draw was made with Justin Sopyc being the winner. It was a grand season for the curling club with lots of action and renewed enthusiasm for the sport. They will now focus on their goals for next curling season.
The hockey rink also saw its final action this past weekend with the Canucks recreational hockey tournament. The comment was made how, at this tournament last year, players were sitting outside between games and their kids were running in the grass - what a change this year was!
The last of our hockey teams in playoffs achieved the following:
Our local Pee Wee B team headed to Pilot Butte for provincial finals on March 27 and, after winning game number one 7 to 2, ended up Pee Wee B provincial champions. This is very exciting both for the team and the community as there has not been a provincial championship in the hockey rink in at least a decade. Congratulations, players and coaches, and thank you for the dedication and perseverance in your season and for bringing another provincial banner to town!
Local girls, Jensen Chorney, Brenna Hofman and Samantha David, who played on the Pee Wee A girls' team from Dodsland, played their provincial final against Estevan. They lost game one by one goal and returned to Dodsland on March 24, to earn a silver medal in their provincial bid. Congratulations to these gals as it was a season of dedication by both parents and players to be at the many out-of-town practices and games.
The other local girls, Kelsey Wildeman, Heather Wood and Sydney David, who played on the West Central Wheat Kings Midget AA girls' team based out of Kindersley, lost game one of their provincial final against Prairie Storm based out of southern Saskatchewan. The return game was postponed due to bad weather, so this provincial final will be on April 2 in Dodsland. This team also plays the remaining two games of their league final in Dodsland on March 29 and March 31. Regardless of the outcome of these events, this team has celebrated much success in league and provincial play this year. And again, without the dedication of parents and players for the many hours of driving to attend their practices and games, this success could not be celebrated.
April 2 is the big day for Unity to find out if we have won the "Best rink burger" contest sponsored by the Star Phoenix. Unity was in the top six nominated in the province and Star Phoenix personnel, Cory Wolfe and Rory Mclean were on hand March 19 to taste the goods. We will see if this will have any marketing value next rink season!
Local residents Pat, Melisa and Nash Sperle had the pleasure of playing extras on the movie, Barlowe Mann, being filmed in Provost by producer/director Corbin Bernsen. They had the privilege of viewing the trailer for this movie, set for DVD release possibly this fall. Everyone is excited to see if their roles will be in the actual movie and have been teasing the Sperles about a red carpet premiere night to show off their talents!
The ball players are anxious to get on those diamonds. Many teams have been having light indoor practices to get them in shape for ball season. Unity is hosting Softball Fever on April 30 to kick off the ball season. Besides hosting the annual Minor Ball day in May, Unity minor ball will also play host to the Midget girls' provincial championship and the Bantam boys' provincial championships, both this summer.
At UCHS, badminton season is in full swing. Unity hosted a Badminton tournament on March 25-26, however, due to poor road conditions, not all teams were able to attend. Also swinging into high gear in April is the UCHS drama production, which will be showcased at Regional Drama Festival in April in Davidson. Once this is done, they will perform this Harry Potter parody for the hometown crowd.
Also coming up for UCHS is the annual general meeting of the UCHS School Community Council on April 4, 2011. Everyone is welcome to attend and hear the council's annual report, and to take the opportunity to let your name stand for election to take part in SCC.
Unity School of Dance is also gearing up for a busy end to their season. In April, they are competing in Lloydminster and North Battleford. As well they will host a solo and duet showcase on April 1 and the entire School of Dance ensemble will perform their year end recital in early May.
The local 4-H club will hold their annual Spring Home and Farm Fair on Saturday, April 9. Tables can still be rented by contacting Corinne Van De Meutter. This annual event is a good way to put away the winter blues and come for a coffee, a shopping spree, or the lunch that will be served throughout the day.
The Unity Ministerial Association will hold their last two Lenten lunches at the Baptist and Catholic churches. If you have missed the first two sessions you still have a chance to catch these events on Wednesdays at 11:30. Lenten lunch provides you with food, worship and fellowship amongst citizens in our community. The Ministerial will then be preparing for the annual "Way of the Cross Walk" held on Good Friday.
Also coming up in April is the annual Co-op Easter Egg hunt. This event has been taking place for six years now and is a big hit with the kids in the community. It shows the community involvement of the Co-op staff as they prepare and host this big event for the kids in town.
The volunteer appreciation night, recognizing the many volunteers who help make events and programs run smoothly, will be held on April 11, so be sure to watch for more details on this.
April 12 will be the school portion of the music festival at St. Peter's. The local music festival runs the week of April 11 to 15 in various venues about town and includes piano, other musical instruments, singing and choral speaking. This annual event is a great way for local talent to showcase their hard work and talents. Following the week of music festival, the gala performance is held at the high school to showcase the top winners from throughout the week.
If you are looking for something unique to check out, why not come to the Unity Public School on April 14 for their Junior Genius display? Grade 6 students have been working hard on their projects to showcase at this event. Students were to choose an area they were interested in and provide an exhibit for spectators to browse. The students are also able to answer any questions you may have on their project. Call Unity Public School or ask a grade 6 student for times of this event so you can take it in.
Again, if you have news you would like me to report, feel free to let me know as I am glad for the support I have received so far. As well, I would like to report the news on all events and happenings around our fine community.
Coffee row is certainly full of a lot of theories on our weather and upcoming growing season, because March chose not only to come in like a lion, but stay as growley as a lion for the entire month too. With the continued weather warnings, snow and wind, there was debate as to whether we were returning to the Ice Age rather than succumbing to global warming. These round table discussions at our various coffee shops around town have yet to come to a conclusion on which weather theory is correct. In the meantime, these groups will try to solve the water problems that are sure to evolve once the weather finally turns into the spring we were promised back in February. So again, you can see we keep busy in Unity both with activities and mulling the wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next week . . .
