Can you believe it is nearly the end of January, 2012 already? Where did that time fly so fast to? On the bright side, we have yet to experience a major blizzard and the days are definitely and noticeably getting longer, although the cold weather snap we experienced last week was an abrupt jump into the winter we had not been used to.
Curling action will be heating up at the local rink. If you enjoy live curling action there are always plenty of games to take in Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday nights at the Unity curling club. The JayDee Agtech annual men's bonspiel is slated for Feb. 7 to 12. Organizers are always looking for a full slate of teams so if you haven't registered your team yet, make sure you do so by calling the curling club at 228-2212.
Unity hosted the district 4-H playdowns Sunday, which saw the Senlac Multiple 4-H Club junior team advance to regionals in Biggar, to be held next month. A joint district senior team, comprised of Kyla Van De Meutter, Robyn Sperle and Megan Babchuk, all of Unity, and Ainsley Bowey of Senlac will also compete at the 4-H regional bonspiel.
Also high school curling playdowns will begin and Unity is fortunate to be hosting both district playdowns for junior and senior teams Feb. 13 and 14, as well as regional playdowns for the senior teams advancing to this next step of playdowns. They will be held here Feb. 17 and 18. From this week, teams will be decided to head to senior high provincial championships held in early March. Teams are putting in some dedicated practices as well as participating in as much game play as they can leading up to the district playdowns.
So whether you enjoy live curling action, or you want to join your favourite team for refreshment in the lounge there is always plenty of social factors and game watching available at the Unity curling club. Don't forget the club is unique in that it houses a far-end camera to watch on a flat screen TV at each ice, making those far-end calls undisputable. And the lounge houses a big screen TV with plenty of sports channels to watch your favourite curling event, or hockey if there is no curling on TSN that day.
The Rob Bakken team, including Brent Taylor from North Battleford and Rob, Trevor Gerein and Marlowe Rask from Unity competed in Men's Northern Curling Playdowns and experienced a roller-coaster ride in their quest to head to the Tankard. They lost their opening draw to Carl DeConnick-Smith. They won their second match, lost their third and won the next game in the C draw that would advance them to quarterfinals, where, however, they were unable to capture a win over Team Joyce and unfortunately eliminated from advancing to provincials.
Wanda Heitt, playing on Team Darlene Gilles, will head to Humboldt this weekend for the Scotties Provincial Playdowns, along with 11 other teams. Notable opponents at this event will include Teams Eberle, Many Selzer, Stephanie Lawton, Jill Shumay, Michelle Engelot and Trish Paulsen. We wish them well in their curling competition.
And speaking of curling, congratulations to Cody Thompson, selected out of many entrants in the province to be a SaskEnergy junior curling star at this year's Brier. Cody has been a long time participant with both school curling and the curling club league play. His school team was the youngest team to win a district championship last year. I will keep you posted on the excitement leading up to this big event for Cody.
The program, sponsored by SaskEnergy, offers the junior stars as an integral part of every championship. SaskEnergy Junior Stars provides young champions of the future the opportunity to experience a taste of competitive curling at its very best and meet with the biggest names in the game! At every event on the Season of Champions schedule, junior curlers affiliated with clubs in the region can apply to be a SaskEnergy Junior Star. Winners become honorary members of one of the teams competing in the championship and receive: a commemorative SaskEnergy Junior Stars jacket; tickets to the draw when their team is highlighted including two draw tickets for their parents; a 2012 Tim Horton's Brier event pin and souvenir program; and an official photograph with the team. But the best part is they have the chance to meet the team, observe them from ice-level in practice and take part in a special pre-game ceremony. And at select championships they can go behind the scenes to meet the TSN broadcast crew and production staff.
Now that Minor Hockey Weekend is over, some teams have begun their provincial playoffs. There will also be novice and initiation Divisions soon hosting their annual tournaments. Check out the schedule at the rink or on the Town of Unity website to see when your favourite team is playing next.
UCHS students are at the end of exam week for semester one. It seems hard to believe time has flown that quickly. Onward into semester two, which will be the last semester for Grade 12 students at UCHS and they will find time flying even more quickly as they edge toward graduation.
UCHS is excited to be celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Although more details will be released later, if you were a past student of UCHS, take note that May 17 the high school is hosting a slate of activities starting at 1 p.m.; to help celebrate this occasion.
Junior boys' district playdowns for basketball will take place Mar. 2 and 3, which means the team is making the most of practices and league action to fine tune their game for a chance at a district title. The senior boys' basketball team will prepare in the same manner being that their conference playdowns are Mar. 9 and 10.
Feb. 13 - 17 is designated as Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week so make sure to find some way to thank some one or two that you have appreciated this year.
There are only three days left to vote for Unity to win the Saskatchewan in motion challenge with $10,000 prize money up for grabs. If Unity wins, $1,000 is earmarked towards each of the three schools and the remaining $7,000 is slated for the building of an outdoor rink and summer skate park/pad. Each email address can vote every day and, of course, the more votes the better Unity's chances are, so please log on to www.jumpin.ca to help Unity out in this quest.
2nd Avenue Cinema held a unique event Sunday afternoon. They hosted a free trailerfest, which included multiple previews of movies upcoming for the spring and summer. Guests had their names entered for several door prize draws, as well as getting to rate the trailers they viewed and suggest which movies the theatre should be sure to bring in.
UPS held their annual family reading night Jan. 26 as part of their Saskatchewan Literacy Week celebrations, with guest author Ann Campbell from Lloydminster. And I had the distinct pleasure of talking to the Grade 4 class about writing an article. I enjoyed describing the fun I have tracking various community events and writing about them so everyone knows how active our community is. Their enthusiasm leads me to believe we could have some journalism students in the future from UPS. Today St. Peter's School holds their rockin' reader celebration for students there.
This weekend is the Unity Multiple 4-H Club's craft retreat weekend at the United Church Hall. It is a weekend to come and work on your craft projects, scrapbooking, card making, quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, painting, etc. It is a great time to spend with friends and get great ideas from others. Local craft consultants will be present. Registration at $95.00 includes snacks, lunch and supper. You may still be able to book a table by calling Corinne at JayDee AgTech or at 228-3604.
The Lions Club is still selling tickets for their Valentine's Day supper and show featuring A Tribute to Johnny Cash - Cashback, Feb. 10 at the Unity Community Centre. Happy hour is at 5:30 with supper at 6:30 and show at 8:00 p.m. Only 225 tickets are to be sold and there are only four weeks left to get your ticket to this popular show. Contact Rose at 228-2579 or Phyllis at 228-3873 to secure your tickets today! Also, don't forget the Lions are still selling their mini phonebooks for only $5. They are great for your vehicle. Check Crystal Clarity, Cinema Satellite or any Lions' member to pick up your copy.
Unity Baptist Church is having a Valentine's Day banquet Feb. 14. Cliff and Marg Scott will be sharing their musical talent. Don't miss this opportunity to hear an international gospel entertainer and speaker. Tickets available at Downtown Medical Clinic or Sunrise Wellness Spa.
The Legion is printing up the next round of tickets for their new, and popular, 50/50 tickets that went over very well before Christmas. Check with one of the Legion members on how to get yours. The Legion members are fundraising to repair the roof on the Legion Hall.
As 2012 has passed nearly the month-in mark already, don't forget the Unity Facilities Committee is always looking for groups to step up and help them achieve the fundraising goals for the new pool and ground floor hall project.
Coffee row folk braved the elements during the cold to keep the spirit and conversation alive and well at coffee tables around town. Although the weather was certainly a topic to be pondered, folks also discussed the continual debate about the dissolution of the Canadian Wheat Board, the cruise ship disaster in Italy, and other beefs and bouquets about things happening around our fine community. And so again you can see we keep busy in Unity with activities and wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next week ...
