That鈥檚 it, that鈥檚 all, folks. February 2015 is over this weekend and we will soon know the answer to 鈥淒id March come in like a lamb or a lion?鈥� I know many residents were thoroughly unhappy with the lashes of bi-polar disorder Mother Nature dished out from Feb. 13 right through to Feb. 22 with freezing rain, snow and high winds. Let鈥檚 hear it for spring soon!
The anti-vax movement has created more and more discussion each day. Ask anyone who lived the fear of the polio era or any other diseases the world had thought were eradicated and see what they say. Some elders dare challenge those anti-vaxxers to visit a cemetery and see the graves of children who died young from disease the world later eradicated. Ask any mom of new babies of their fear of coming into contact with the measles, while they wait to have their children vaccinated.
The freedom to choose isn鈥檛 always what you deem best for yourself, but what is deemed lifesaving for thousands of others. It鈥檚 a hot topic, people, and I doubt it鈥檚 going away any time soon. We can鈥檛 always rely on medicine to cure after the fact; we need to be proactive rather than reactive. There鈥檚 my rant of the week.
At St. Peter鈥檚 School, return from the February break means kids are jumping back into several parts of their school year. The choir and band will be amping up their practices for the upcoming music festival. As well, students move into Lenten study. The AR reading program is an important activity for staff and students as it recognizes the importance of reading in all aspects of life.
At Unity Public School students are involved in festival preparations and more curling for Division II. The Division II ski trip is coming up this week.
Senior curling districts took place Feb 11 and 12. Congratulations to both the senior boys鈥� and senior girls鈥� teams who won district gold advancing them to regionals in Meadow Lake Feb. 27 and 28. Junior curling districts will take place Feb. 24 and 25.
The Unity Skating Club hosted a regional competition at the rink this past weekend, which saw nine clubs from Regions 10 and 13 competing over a two-day period. And, in only a week, they will be performing their year-end Ice Carnival, March 6, with the theme of 鈥淪ummer.鈥� The program begins at 7.
This past weekend at the Unity Curling Club was the provincial Knights of Columbus curling bonspiel. Coming up Feb. 26 鈥� March 1 is the annual Oilman鈥檚 Bonspiel that includes a dance and social upstairs, free to the public. The dance will feature Danny and the Dusters in the community centre Saturday night.
The daffodils are coming! This is a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society and orders will need to be in by Wednesday, March 11 so watch for order forms coming to your business as well as posters and contact information around town.
It鈥檚 that time of year that Christians begin the season of Lent. Churches in Unity will once again hold the Lenten luncheon series starting March 5 at the Anglican Church, followed by March 12 at Unity United Church, March 19 at St. Peter鈥檚 Catholic Church and finishing up March 26 at the Unity Baptist Church. Everyone is welcome to attend the short worship services as well as enjoy fellowship over lunch. There will be an offering basket at each event.
World Day of Prayer is Friday, March 6 and everyone is invited to join folks at the Anglican Church at 10 a.m. for a short service, with muffins and coffee afterward. This event will be celebrated and joined in by other people around the world. There will be an offering, with envelopes available for you to request tax receipts.
In the theme of events leading up to Easter 2015, the annual Way of the Cross Walk will once again take place on Good Friday, this year April 3, beginning at 10 a.m. at Unity United Church and ending with hot chocolate and hot cross buns at the Anglican Church hall. Everyone is welcome to journey the Stations of the Cross.
The annual Ducks Unlimited Banquet and Auction is set for March 21 at the Unity Community Centre, open again after a couple months鈥� hiatus for renos. Tickets are available from Bill Fraser or Cinema Satellite.
The Unity Wildlife Federation will be running firearm safety classes starting March 31. Applications are available at the Unity schools and the RM of Round Valley or by calling Merv Bosch at 306-228-2248.
It is refreshing seeing a number of businesses offer staff dress-down days on Fridays for a donation they accumulate throughout the year and then hand over to community charities. Staff love the option for a dress-down day and their generosity in this action benefits those who could use a leg up in our communities. Kudos for those who participate in this practice.
Coffee row folks continue to review the current events both in town and in the province. Many are looking forward to signs that spring may come sooner than Mr. Groundhog has predicted. Of course, hockey and curling topics are prevalent as many enjoy cheering for favourite teams and players in town as well as in provincial and national events.
This daily ritual is as consistent as the coffee they enjoy while reviewing life in their own homes or in our community. What鈥檚 great about it is there is always a laugh to be heard, and the reassurance that they will meet again tomorrow no matter what side of the topic table they sat on. So you see we keep busy in Unity with activities and wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next week.
