The weather - it is as mystifying as this winter was. We seem to be always wondering "will we" or "won't we" be getting the severe weather the weather forecasts keep coming up with. I tell my kids, remember the weather is all these stations have to talk about so of course they are going to focus on extreme weather, but the important thing to remember is we are getting advance warning to be prepared or to keep an eye on the sky. If the system passes without incident, it can give us a sigh of relief and something to laugh about with our friends the next day.
School is officially out for the summer! Kids will be spending more time in the parks, on their bikes and outdoors in general so keep a watchful eye for them as they make their way around town excitedly enjoying summer events in our community.
Softball and baseball teams have either competed or will be competing in upcoming provincial competitions. The Squirt Panthers travelled to Conquest June 30 weekend where they sailed through the round robin earning first in their pool. That advanced them to Sunday's semifinal but from there things did not go as planned. Although touted as the strong team to beat, they had a heartbreaking defeat in this match that sent them home early. Congratulations to this team for a season of success and to the coaches who dedicated much time to practices and games throughout the season.
Teams in other divisions all the way up to midgets will still be heading to various parts of the province in early July to compete for their chance to bring Unity a provincial title. Also the UK Royals Junior Ladies' team which includes five Unity players will head to Moose Jaw to compete in their chance for a provincial title. Both the midgets and the junior team are eligible to advance to Western Canadian Championships if they are successful at their respective provincials.
Baseball divisions from squirt to midgets will be going through their rounds of district and regional playdowns to earn their chances to compete at their provincial championships throughout the province.
Summer Games tryouts were held in Unity June 30 with Unity playing the Battleford Bantams to earn a berth as the Zone 7 team for the games being held in Meadow Lake this August. Unity advanced, winning two games back-to-back in a best of three series.
Peewee C provincials will be hosted in Unity this weekend. Seven teams will be vying for their chance at a provincial title. Action begins Friday at noon, with opening ceremonies Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday there will be a pancake breakfast from 8 - 10 a.m. at the diamonds. Why not head to the diamonds this weekend to enjoy some great competition in softball and support the host committee in their venture.
And still with softball, tryouts will be held in Unity July 22 for bantam aged girls to form a Zone 7 team to compete at the annual Fall Ball Zone Provincial Championship to be held in Moosomin September long weekend. The inaugural event was held in Unity last year and was a huge success. Local softball coach Brent Weber will be coaching this year's Zone 7 team along with long-time coach Don Robertson.
Also this weekend, the Unity Motocross Club is hosting a provincial motocross race at their tracks, next to the airport, Saturday. Why not head there to see some fast paced action on the track? Racing begins at 10 a.m. and runs to 5 p.m. at the Route 46 Motopark, across from Unity Airport on Hospital Road.
Kids, don't forget to head down to the library for Summer Reading Fun. Posters and booklets were handed out to elementary kids to encourage them to enjoy their local library and keep their reading skills fine-tuned over the summer.
The local pool is offering the Bronze Star course July 23 to July 27 from 10 a.m. to noon. Please register at the pool. As well, they will be offering a Discover Scuba course Aug. 18 from 9 to 1 p.m. at a cost of $40 but you must pre-register. The diving clinic will be offered Aug 21 to 23 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
When the weather is just too darn warm during the day, you can always head down to the swimming pool. Watch for posters at the pool for upcoming activities. Check with the pool at 228-2133 or the town office at 228-2621 for any details you may need on hours of operation or upcoming events.
July 1 was a flurry of activity as the annual Canada Day event was held at our local museum. Dog agility, entertainment, food and fun are always on the agenda for participants. UCRC hosted a beef on a bun supper and the ever popular fireworks are always a fan favourite to close the day.
Unity and District Heritage Museum is open for visitors so why not take your guests there when you have visitors in town? The museum committee works diligently to have all buildings and equipment ready for visitors throughout the summer.
Watch for details on the community picnic coming up again this July. There will be plenty for everyone to do including bouncy houses, food, fellowship and fun. Watch for details around town or in this column.
Both the Summer Fun Preschool program and the regular Summer Fun Centre have begun. These are terrific opportunities for kids in the community to stay active and engaged during the summer months. Be sure to watch for posters or the local paper for activity details, or call the town office for more information at 228-2621.
We waited for it, we watched for it - July 1 at 5:30 p.m., the broadcast time that Unity was anxious to hear to find out if they would be a finalist in this year's TSN Kraft celebration tour that has the TSN sports team visiting 10 communities in 10 days across Canada. However, another TSN contest did not go in our favour and we lost out to the Saskatchewan entries of Kerrobert and Porcupine Plain.
Coffee row folks always have plenty of topics on the table. Many coffee row folk have kids and grandkids involved in provincial ball playdowns so there is always room at the table to talk about proud moments of these fans. And Rider fans are very excited at the terrific opening season game that gave the Riders a 43-16 win over Hamilton. This creates the Rider excitement we have come to know and love. Of course the weather topic is never off the table ... So you see we keep busy in Unity with activities and wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next week ...
