Did March come in like a lamb or a lion where you live? We have simply experienced the most wonderful winter up to this point but doubters who know Saskatchewan can experience all of winter in the latter part are curious what March, and possibly April, will bring us.
The annual skating carnival will be Friday night at the arena. Come and support the figure skaters who have worked hard all season to perform for the public. The theme is 鈥淢usicals鈥� and it will be at least a solid two hours of entertainment from the littlest stars to the older skating students. The decorations, costumes and performances will all contribute to a fabulous night.
Unity will be watching their hometown dancer, Presli O鈥橠onnell, at this weekend鈥檚 Telemiracle. She is set to perform Saturday at 8 p.m. It鈥檚 been 40 years running and this is the weekend Saskatchewan holds up one of its strongest traditions and pits in next to the TVs for the annual Telemiracle telethon. An additional hour has been added to the 20-hour broadcast and will feature a terrific national cast, including the return of fan favourite Alvin Law.
In our house, Telemiracle 40 is certainly a milestone anniversary to celebrate as my dad was involved in the planning and organizing of the very first Telemiracle. We spent many hours participating in community fundraisers where I grew up, as well as watching our parents man those phones and attend the telethon live in auditorium. Support the dedication of our Kinsmen and Kinettes and let鈥檚 make the 40th anniversary of this telethon the best one yet.
Unity Public School had some adventures last week as a water issue outside the school caused some challenges that included the division and town working diligently on a solution. A temporary fix was created, until summer, to minimize disruption at school which resulted in adapting to no water the morning of Feb. 24. Hats off to staff and students for rolling with the punches in this challenge.
UPS wrapped up their Friday funday Telemiracle fundraising and were very thankful to participants who helped them raise a whopping $995.76. UPS has been proud to be a regular supporter of Telemiracle fundraising and each year hosts a unique and fun fundraising project for students.
St. Peter's School has been supporting Telemiracle annually for over 30 years. Over the years they have done various fundraising ideas including hot lunch sales, collecting coins, selling hands, etc.
St. Peter鈥檚 School will be attending 鈥淲e Day鈥� festivities this month, a very exciting event in Saskatoon.
Unity Composite High School鈥檚 latest updates on the curling scene: UCHS district curling had the mixed team playing a marathon of back-to-back seven games, losing in an extra end to win bronze while the UCHS junior girls鈥� team 鈥� all Grade 7s 鈥� sailed undefeated to their gold medal win. Senior curlers sent three teams to regional playdowns, with the hopes of securing one or more provincial berths under the guidance of Coach Snell. Team Powell 鈥� Spencer Powell, Cody Thompson, Todd Bazley and Zak Bos 鈥� advanced to playoffs Saturday however could not advance past a tough Spiritwood team and missed their provincial berth. This is the last year of UCHS curling for this team after a very strong run right from Grade 7, capturing numerous district titles. Congratulations, team, for some exciting curling for fans to follow over the years.
In a unique and unfortunate twist, the two UCHS girls鈥� teams ended up facing off against each other in Saturday playdowns. I can only imagine the pacing the poor coaches were doing in this match knowing that one UCHS team was ultimately sending the other one home. Team Sperle advanced to semi-finals defeating Team Hayes whose team mates were Kailey Hayes, Lauren Gartner, Kyra McGongile and Jordan Heitt. Team Sperle was made up of Cyanne Sperle at skip, sister Robyn Sperle, Caprice Sherwood and Daphne Boser.
The end result was that no UCHS team was able to capture a regional berth to provincials; however coaches are proud of their players as each and every game they were pushed hard by teams of equal calibre and the rings were not kind to them this past weekend. There is definite optimism with a combination of experience in the UCHS curling program as well as the skill of juniors showcased at the recent district event.
Senior basketball teams, after a very busy season, are equally busy this March. The girls hosted their home tournament Feb. 26 weekend with their pink game Friday night to raise money and awareness for breast cancer; see another story in this paper later about this terrific undertaking by the girls. Conferences take place this weekend, with regionals the following weekend and, if the teams can stay strong, provincials will be the weekend after that.
After eight years of serving as Unity parks and recreation director, Nicole Goldsworthy, currently on maternity leave, officially tendered her resignation. Goldsworthy began as the parks and recreation director May 1, 2008, coming to Unity from Watrous, where she served as the director of community development and recreation.
In an electronic interview with Goldsworthy, she reported many accomplishments came to mind while serving in her position but hosting the 2009 World Junior Hockey game was a big undertaking, an event she will not soon forget. During her tenure, Goldsworthy was successful on many different grants that helped build new or renovate existing facilities such as the new ball diamond washrooms, the community centre hall elevator and the Agriplex roof reno.
鈥淥f course, the new swimming pool was my last project and really was the kick-starter of getting the swimming pool facility going. The Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund of $250,000 was a big reason this project came to fruition,鈥� stated Goldsworthy.
Goldsworthy proudly states, 鈥淯nity has a very strong group of volunteers 鈥very organization has a group of individuals who give themselves tirelessly to the organization they serving. This is why Unity has been extremely successful when hosting projects and events in Unity. Unity is fortunate as the volunteers are really committed to going above and beyond what is normal for other centres. They choose to raise the bar each time an event is being planned and Unity is always talked about in a positive manner once the event or activity is over.鈥�
Goldsworthy encouraged 鈥� everyone to keep being involved in their community taking pride and ownership in anything whether it鈥檚 big or small. Our passion for sports and recreation is one of the reasons we succeed in so many ways. The more involved we can be, it makes everything better in this community.鈥�
Goldsworthy and her husband have moved back to Bjorkdale where her husband is teaching in his hometown. 2016 will also bring another addition to the family as Nicole is expecting for July.
I asked Goldsworthy to describe Unity in one word or sentence and her response was 鈥渁ctive.鈥� A fitting tribute to a thriving community that has become known as an excellent host and community of up-to-date recreation venues and parks that are attractive to visitors and newcomers. The town wishes Nicole well with her new adventure.
Here鈥檚 what I know about hockey season up to this point: Peewees are currently in round two of provincial playoffs as well as looking strong in their league title quest. The Bantam Lazers took on Kindersley in round two of their provincial quest playing a home and away series, with no results available at press time.
Even though the Unity Miners are eliminated from league playoffs and chose not to participate in provincial playoffs this year, you can still catch our neighbours, the Wilkie Outlaws. They are continuing their strong season both in league and provincial play.
The Midget AA Lazers finished the regular season in fourth spot so have now entered into Centre 4 League championship play.
Come on down to the rink at any time to cheer on your favourite player or team and see some great live hockey action at our local arena.
This weekend is the Oilmen鈥檚 bonspiel that includes a dance Saturday night with music by the famous, or infamous, Danny and the Dusters. It is absolutely free to watch any of the curling action as well as attend the dance with this live band 鈥� can鈥檛 get a better price than that for entertainment! You can be sure the Brier will be aired on the big screen in the Unity Curling Club lounge throughout the weekend.
UCC was a flurry of activity recently with regional cadet playdowns Feb. 27 and with junior curling districts Feb. 23 and 24, garnering numerous compliments on the fabulous venue our curling club is, including the terrific condition of our ice, thanks to 鈥渋ce-man鈥� Gerry.
The club was also cheering on Team Heidt, which includes our own curling club president, Glen Heitt, as they took on senior men鈥檚 provincials in North Battleford. Team Heidt went on to win provincials, to the delight of UCC.
It鈥檚 never too early to register for the upcoming Bramchice Farm Ladies鈥� Spiel coming up in March. As well, coming up in March, the club is happy to be hosing the U18 regional playdowns. There is plenty of room to watch, plenty of windows to watch through and cameras at the far end of each sheet so come on down any time to watch a game or join your favourite player in the lounge. Be sure to watch our Facebook page for all the latest updates
Watch for details on the annual firearm safety courses coming up in April. Application cards and information will be available at the schools as well as the RM of Round Valley in the weeks ahead or contact Merv Bosch at 306-228-2248 for details.
It鈥檚 that time of year again for annual meetings to take place. Take an active interest in your local businesses or community by attending an annual meeting. You know you鈥檒l get great food and fellowship, and you just might learn something. Upcoming meetings taking place are: Delta Co-op, March 15 at the Legion Hall with ticket deadline March 8 and the Unity Credit Union annual meeting March 22.
Coffee row folks keep their conversations interesting as they talk about spring predictions both on the farm and in the oil patch. They love to review the local teams in their quests for a successful finish to their seasons. They recount local events that have been held or will be on the agenda for the weeks ahead. And the Rider reviews will likely continue until they see how this season will start and play out after all the changes that have taken place in the off season. One thing is for sure, this jovial group of conversationalists enjoy their coffee while enjoying each other鈥檚 company, no matter if they agree with the opinions shared or not. They are a huge part of our community culture and, even though they may not recognize it, their presence is enjoyed by many 鈥� especially those folks who may get a 鈥渉appy birthday鈥� serenaded to them in the morning. So you see we keep busy in Unity with activities and wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next time 鈥�
