Well, now it's official. Both regular Christmas and Ukrainian Christmas are over. Ukrainian New Year's is this weekend and there are still some communities in Saskatchewan who celebrate these festivities.
Don't forget that residents can have their Christmas trees picked up from the street following regular residential pick-up, Jan. 15. To ensure pick-up, please place your tree at the curb with your garbage.
Classes are back in action which means busy schedules for teachers, parents and students. UCHS will begin exams for the first semester Jan. 24. Both junior and senior curling is in the last legs of their preparations for upcoming district and regional playdowns. Both junior and senior basketball are also well into their seasons.
UCHS hosted Dr. Alec Courous Jan. 9. His sessions regarded creating a positive digital footprint in our communities. More details will follow as the session was past press time.
At UPS, wow - what an exciting Christmas family fun night we had. Now that the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season has passed, we can sit back and reflect what a good deed we did with events of that night. The man and wo-man cave brought in $178. Winners of the great gifts were: Diana Senger and Tanner Wilson.
Children who brought a used gift, or new toy for that matter, to our Santa toy shop should be proud. The toy shop brought in over $240. The Secret Santa program got approximately $420; well done, UPS students and parents. The food bank drive was a great success and the van got loaded up on Dec 21. Thanks again for your support. Many people will benefit from your actions.
Tis the season to give. Giving should warm your coldest winter night.
We hope 2013 brings every family great health and great experiences. Let's strive to keep 2013 a memorable year.
The Steve Nash basketball program registration is still on, with the program beginning Jan. 15 and 16 at the UCHS senior gym. This is a great program for kids in Grades 3 - 6 looking for some activity this winter. Contact the town office for more details.
Mid-term report for Unity Minor Hockey (UMH): With strong numbers across the board from initiation to midget, UMH has seen varying levels of success for every team.
The three initiation teams started playing games after Christmas and the smiles and laughter abound as kids enjoy their beginning in the minor hockey program. Unity has two very competitive novice teams. The two atom teams are enjoying their season and look to pick up the win column in the New Year.
Both peewee teams sit atop their respective leagues - the Highway 14 and the STEP League - and have been a force and a treat to watch wherever they lace up the skates. Both peewee teams are aiming for league championships as well as icing a highly competitive provincial team for their run to bring a provincial banner to Unity's arena again.
The Bantam Lazers have had many close games that keep fans on the edge of their seats. Their season is going very well with a high number of Ws in their stats. They are also setting the bar high, hoping to bring home both a league and provincial banner.
The undefeated Midget A Lazers are making a serious run in the Highway 14 League and are also entering provincials, jumping into the A category. The Midget AA Lazers, coming off a Centre 4 championship, are finding themselves working hard this year to stay competitive. They have had some early struggles but are also looking forward to a new start this New Year.
Of course, there are several other teams in our minor hockey system; one being the officials who have found themselves in demand across the region and have earned positive reviews from visiting teams. Other teams that play a huge part in minor hockey successes are the coaches, who dedicate countless hours to player development and enjoyment as they host practices and preside over games and tournaments. Managers and co-ordinators are essential to the smooth operation of each team, as they also spend unending hours - lining up games, practices and keeping the communication flowing smoothly throughout the season.
And one team that never gets enough credit is the UMH executive. Volunteering to orchestrate an organization that involves keeping fees affordable, ensuring equipment and uniforms are kept intact and overseeing the operations of the organization in a very efficient manner is a big job and we are very grateful to have this group of volunteer executive members at the helm. All of these volunteers ensure the season is enjoyable for both players and parents.
Come down to the rink Minor Hockey Weekend, to be held Jan. 18, 19 and 20, as there will be plenty of hockey action right from the smallest players to our midget division, and including a Miners' senior hockey game. Check out the rink schedule either posted at the arena or on the Town of Unity website.
Unfortunately, the Jan. 4 - 6 senior men's and women's cash spiel was cancelled due to lack of entries. For the curling rink, the new year brings plenty of other event action to the rink though as a variety of bonspiels are to be held regularly as part of competitions leading up to provincial events as well as the annual men's, ladies and oilmen's spiels that take place each year.
Senior men's regionals will take place Feb 1 - 3 and weekends after this will be full of bonspiels taking place until season's end in addition to the regular league nights and high school teams preparing for their high school playoffs. There is plenty of live action curling to watch and it's free. Call the curling club at 228-2212 if you need any further details.
Congratulations, Freda McCallum, on your 100th birthday. A come and go tea will be held Jan. 12 from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. at the Legion Hall. Freda is a long-time dedicated volunteer in the community, most notably for unending dedication to the museum. Why not come out and celebrate with Freda on this very special occasion?
The UCHS grads were most thankful for the wonderful support they received for their fundraising bottle drive. If you were missed during this canvass you can still take your recyclables to Sarcan and asked to have the refund directed to the 2013 grad class, if you so choose.
We were saddened in town to see another long-time business closing its doors. Ultra Sports is now holding a closing out sale after 21 years in the business. This was a huge boost to residents for a local retailer to offer sporting supplies, shoes and clothing. We wish Larrie and Corinne Thalheimer the best with their future plans.
Coming up in the New Year, the Lions are now selling tickets for their Valentine's event featuring The Hot Tamales. Watch for posters and more details on this event.
Coffee row folks are mulling over the World Junior loss, the lagging NHL lockout, the upcoming curling playdowns, the winter we have had so far, as well as hopes and plans for the spring, in addition to talk of the recent Rider transactions. So you see we keep busy in Unity with activities and wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next week
