Every single person 50 and older on this day is pondering and remembering, "Where were you when President John F Kennedy was shot?" Today marks the 50th anniversary of this still highly debated historical event.
Pandemonium! That has been the atmosphere in Saskatchewan all week after the huge win over Calgary in the Western CFL final. Wise words uttered were "Smith and Weston, that's how the West was won!" and "It is great of Kent Austin to come to Mosaic for Grey Cup to watch the Riders win." The chirping, boasting and proud Rider Nation has savoured every moment of this experience and it will be a memorable weekend no matter which part of the province you're in.
Hmmmm.what can we say about winter? It starts with a bang and then Nov. 14 and 15 we were celebrating plus temperatures and melting. However the warm temperatures brought almost a full 12 hours of rain and the ice that creates is hazardous. Snowfall warnings are in the forecast and it appears Old Man Winter has another season full of surprises waiting for us.
Unity Public School hosted parent teacher interviews Nov. 19 and 20, which was an opportunity to not only discuss your child's progress but to review the new marking system teachers and parents are still getting used to. I'm glad I went to the Living Sky School Division presentation to help understand the process somewhat better.
The annual Scholastic Book Fair ran Nov. 18-22 with opportunities for students to win new books for themselves and their classrooms on family night. UPS is a strong advocate for lifelong reading skills so they appreciate the support families gave their book fair.
At UCHS the senior girls travelled to Assiniboia for provincial volleyball. They showed much grit and fierce competitive play however they could not hold in playoffs and came home empty-handed. The senior boys hosted regional playoffs last weekend and, even though they placed second in the round robin, they also could not hang on in playoff rounds and did not advance. Volleyball season will now be over to make way for basketball season.
Report cards have been distributed and teachers welcomed parents and students this past week to discuss progress as well as to get more comfortable with the new marking and reporting system.
St Peter's School hosted the Grade 6 UPS boys for some volleyball matches Nov. 14, which were a lot of fun to watch.
The AR reading program is keeping students and staff busy earning tallies for rewards. St. Peter's School works hard to encourage and assist all students to become readers as they know it leads to lifelong learning success.
The choir and new band program are working steadily on their Christmas music. Mrs. Keller always does an excellent job with her music programs and audiences look forward to any of the performances.
Hockey is in full swing. Practices fill the week nights and games fill the weekends. Sharing ice between 12 minor divisions, power skating, rec skating, senior hockey, recreation teams and the Unity Skating Club keeps the hockey arena very busy. Be sure to check out the schedule posted each week for those public skate and shinny times, as well as upcoming hockey events. You can also find this schedule on the Town of Unity website.
Live curling action was the flavour at the Unity Curling Club Nov. 15 to 17. The Sifto Cash Spiel brought out some big names in the curling circuit to compete for top prize and points on the Sask. Curling Tour. The lounge TVs did double duty showing Masters curling and of course the Rider game.
Hats off to icemaker Gerry Guggemos who doesn't sleep much in curling season, keeping the ice the envy of many for all league curlers and bonspiel events.
Next bonspiel up is the annual Boxing Day bonspiel. The New Year will bring plenty of bonspiel action, including the hosting of Senior Men's and Women's Provincial Championships right here in Unity.
The Unity 4-H toy bingo will be held Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Legion Hall at 2 p.m. Refreshments are included and everyone is welcome.
Parkview Place is hosting their annual Christmas bake sale Nov. 28, along with a new venture, a luncheon you can pre-book. Be sure to call Sharon at Parkview to find out all the details.
The annual Christmas Service of Remembrance will be held Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2:30 p.m. at St. Peter's Catholic Church. New this year, please bring a tree ornament to place on the tree in memory of your loved one or friend. Everyone is welcome to attend with refreshments to follow. Contact either funeral homes for more details.
Once again, the community Christmas celebration entitled Winter Wonderland will take place the first Thursday in December. Watch for details on all of the events which will take place. It will be another fabulous night to partake in Christmas activity, visit friends and neighbours and get in the festive spirit.
Again, our local paper is full of a variety of job opportunities. Why not check out the opportUNITY in Unity?
There is simply nothing else to talk about on coffee row this week but our Riders. They dominated the conversation corner all season but there was simply no other topic to discuss in Grey Cup week other than revelling in the Riders' win, bringing them to home turf for this weekend's Grey Cup. It has been an exciting week for Rider Nation, no matter what part of the province you come from.
So you see we keep busy in Unity with activities and wisdom from our friends on coffee row. Until next week.
