UNITY--It was welcomed back with open arms. The annual Unity Western Days event, after being put on a two-year pandemic pause, was back on the events calendar June 3-5.
The weekend kicked off with a roast beef supper and announcement of Unity's Citizen of the Year on June 3.
Saturday was packed full of activity, offering something for everyone. Delta Co-op invited car enthusiasts to bring their classic or muscle cars and trucks to their Home Centre parking lot for a Show and Shine event, offering prizes for participants. Those that showed their vehicles were invited to be part of the annual parade that followed the afternoon of June 4. People enjoyed the opportunity to stroll leisurely through the collection of cars and trucks on display.
June 4 was also a new addition to Unity Western Days as the Unity & District Multiple 4-H Club held their Achievement Day throughout the day at the Unity rodeo grounds showcasing a number of activities club members have been part of all year. The activity provided a great opportunity for family and friends of 4-H members to celebrate their year with them showcasing their projects, activities and animals, as well as community members enjoying a day watching the 4-H year-end showcase.
The Unity Miners cooked up burgers downtown prior to the parade for an easy lunch option, while raising money for their hockey club.
The annual parade was very well received with multiple entries and hundreds of people lining the parade route to experience the parade after their two year hiatus.
Mother Nature co-operated throughout June 4 for all of these events and gave extra incentive for people to experience the great outdoors and attend the rodeo performance later that afternoon. A good crowd, including many families in attendance witnesses the thrills and spills that the sport of rodeo offers. Additionally, there were a number of local contestants competing throughout the two-day rodeo performance.
Saturday night's cabaret featuring Danny and the Dusters was also welcomed back with open arms as people continue to take in more opportunity to gather in back to normal opportunities.
June 5 kicked off with the rodeo pancake breakfast sponsored and hosted by Unity Baptist Church. Unity Flying Club also hosted a come and go coffee and donut event during that Sunday afternoon.
High winds may have played a factor in reduced crowds on the Sunday of rodeo performances, as a smaller crowd was in attendance.
Jannae Kessel was crowned the 2022 Unity Wester Days Rodeo Queen during the performance.
Residents were appreciative of having the event back in the first weekend of June and relished the opportunity to take in one or more of the activities that were part of the weekend.
