Did you spoil your loved ones on Valentine's Day? If you forgot, surprise them now with a post-Valentine's Day surprise - no great gesture goes unnoticed.
This darn winter is becoming tiresome. Yes, warmer weather feels great but it wreaks havoc on our roads with pavement frost, as well as drifting and sticking snow. Remember to call the highway hotline before you head out on the roads.
Unity Composite High School curling has rocked the rounds of district playoffs once again. The boys' team, in their first attempt at senior district competition, won first in the A event sending them to regionals to be held in North Battleford, Feb. 15 and 16. Skipped by Spencer Powell, backed up by third Cody Thompson, along with Zak Bos and Todd Bazley, the team had only one close game in their matches, earning them the Battlewest District gold.
The girls' team, skipped by Kyla Van de Meutter, backed up by Heather Wood, Megan Babchuk and Robyn Sperle, also led the pack earning gold in the second spot for a regional berth. These girls had only one misstep in the A final which sent them to the B event, which they decidedly captured with an 8-5 victory.
The mixed team is made up of Grade 12 students, skip Jonathan Neigum, third Shelby Solomko, second Justin Sopyc and lead Mickayla Brandle as well as alternates Devin Boser and Kylie Walz. Walz subbed in two games for Brandle who is recovering from a knee injury. The team lost their first match in the A pool which sent them to a must-win situation on the B side where they won four straight games to capture the title in the final game over NBCHS.
Coach Kyla Snell will have another busy weekend of coaching all three teams at the regional competition.
Junior curling teams head to districts in Kerrobert Feb. 26 and 27. Boys are Spencer Powell, Cody Thompson, Todd Bazely and Zak Bos. Girls are Robin Sperle, Cyane Sperle, Caitlyn Ireland and Caprice Sherwood and the mixed team is made up of Lyndon Jellison, Daphne Boser, Dakota Kloster and Marina Gampe.
Good luck, curling teams!
Staff at Unity Public School were treated this week by the local SCC group, division board and other parents as part of teacher/staff appreciation festivities. Teachers were treated to several lunches, noon-hour supervision provided by parents and other surprises.
And don't forget, UPS is actively collecting the soon-to-be extinct pennies in a penny drive for their Telemiracle fundraiser.
Everyone is looking forward to spring break coming up, starting with the family day holiday Feb. 18.
St. Peter's School held their annual "Are you as Fit as a 6th Grader" competition Feb. 8. Last year the community members prevailed as winners however the Grade 6 class worked hard to outwit, outplay and outlast their adult opponents and, although very close, the adult group had to concede and proclaim aloud that they were "not as fit as 6th graders." This is a fabulously fun competition between Grade 6 students and members of the community in a variety of athletic challenges.
St Pete's staff are also being treated by the SCC and Pact parent groups during Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week festivities.
And as if rampant stomach flu season before Christmas and respiratory flu virus after Christmas wasn't enough for the schools, the chicken pox is now making its rounds through the children who haven't yet had them or have not been vaccinated.
The Unity Miners have begun their playoff season as well, defeating the Eatonia Huskies 6-5 Feb. 9. The second game in their first round series is tomorrow, Feb. 16, at 8:30 p.m. in the Unity arena.
The JayDee AgTech Annual Men's Bonspiel had 22 teams competing. A event winner was the Harold Greenwald rink; B event winner was Mitch Heidt rink; C event winner was the Claude Combres rink and the D event winner was the Martin Berg rink. Coming up after this is the annual oilmen's bonspiel, Feb. 28 to March 3. This is followed by the Bramiche Farms Annual Ladies' Bonspiel.
Unity's junior 4-H curling team competed at provincials in Rosetown Feb. 8 and 9. Coached by Glen Stevens, team members are Kaitlyn Ireland, Cyane Sperle, Dawson Ireland and Reece Gilbert. As a relatively new team, and young, they put out their best effort but were unfortunately eliminated early in competition. But congratulations to them for making it through two sets of playdowns to get to the provincial level.
The Unity branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation held their annual wildlife supper and awards night, Feb. 2. It was another sell-out crowd, largely due to the fabulous menu, including ginger goose and fresh fish, prepared by wildlife members. The club uses funds raised from the event for a number of local and provincial initiatives including a bursary each year at graduation.
Coming up March 3 at 2 p.m. is the popular Trailerfest, with absolutely free admission. Moviegoers can come for a program approximately 45 minutes in length to see previews of all the new releases due out this spring and summer. Door prizes will also be drawn for.
The museum is still hosting Sunday pancake brunches. For only $6 you get a hot meal. You can beat the crowd before church or come after church as it starts at 10 a.m. and goes until 2 p.m. The proceeds from these brunches go a long way toward museum upkeep, hall costs and future events. The annual general meeting is Feb. 20 and the museum is always in need of new members. In addition, they still need someone to take over as curator at the museum. The museum board thanks all who support them year-round with attendance, donations, volunteering and interest, and they look forward to another great season.
Make sure you get your tickets for the annual Celebrate Unity dinner and program. This year's event will be held March 4 at the community centre. This is an evening to recognize outstanding individuals and groups in the community, as well as new and retired businesses from the past year. Tickets are on sale for $35 until Feb. 20 and then will become $45. The evening begins with cocktails at 5:30 p.m., followed by supper at 6:30 p.m. and then the program and the group Hoja. Tickets are available at Unity Credit Union, Sunrise Wellness Spa and Bricin Financial.
Coffee row folks are still discussing curling season with adult teams competing provincially and the high school teams heading off to regional competitions working to also earn a provincial berth. They are also reviewing their thumbs-up or thumbs-down votes for teams that will appear at this year's Tim Horton's Brier. With their laughter and optimism for each day, this is always a fun group to converse with. So you see we keep busy in Unity with activities and wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next week ...
