After a day and an inch or more of rain Friday, June 1, the sun came out for a “perfect weather” rodeo weekend at the 2018 Unity Western Days.
By special request, here are photos of Saturday’s competitors in the Bareback Bronc riding.
Calder Peterson of Glentworth SK on Dragon Slayer (a Cooper/Senlac horse):
Denny Phipps of Cochrane, AB on Just Hanging
Lane Ferguson of Stirling, AB on Sandspike
Unity Skating Club held their annual carnival at Unity Community Centre March 4
Here is a sampling of Around the World – second half
Ireland
Mexico
Italy
Emily
Japan
USA
Spain
Kailey
France
Finale
Unity Skating Club held their annual carnival at Unity Community Centre March 4
Here is a sampling of Around the World – first half
Africa
England
Germany
Caribbean
Puerto Rico
Australia
Canada
Cuba
Greece
China
The date is set, the hall and caterer have been booked and the chosen entertainment has confirmed their attendance. Planning for Celebrate Unity 2018, to be held Monday, March 5, at the Unity Community Centre, is well underway.
Along with recognition of community volunteers, new and long-time Unity businesses, and exemplary service award winners; a delicious meal and good conversation with friends and neighbours, prepare to be well entertained. Performing at Celebrate Unity 2018 will be West of Mabou, an acclaimed Saskatchewan ceilidh band of five. Your toes will be tapping to the lively Celtic music they perform.
One of CBC Saskatchewan’s 2017 Artists to Watch, West of Mabou performs lively dance music steeped in the rich traditions of Scottish and Cape Breton fiddle and pipe tunes.
You can check them out at their website, http://westofmabou.ca/.
Almost all the pieces are in place for Celebrate Unity 2018. All that remains is for the Unity and District Chamber of Commerce to send out the invitation letters to this year’s selected honourees. Nominations are still open for the exemplary service awards.
If you know a business; business owner, manager or staff person; or a community volunteer who has gone above and beyond in serving the needs of our community, please feel free to make a nomination. Nominations are open until Monday, Feb. 5. Contact Helena by calling or texting 306-228-8780 or emailing helena@helenalong.com.
To attend Celebrate Unity 2018, watch for tickets to be available in early February at the Unity Credit Union.
West of Mabou band members are Scott Benson and Roberta Wallace, each on fiddle; Alex Rasmussen who plays pipes and whistles, Justin Easton on guitar and Jared Dormer on the drums. Each of the members is an experienced performer in his or her own right, having performed at festivals, competitions, pubs and ceilidhs around the world, including the World Pipe Band Championships, Canmore Highland Games, Western Canadian Music Awards, Canada Cup of Curling and the Ford World Men’s Curling Championships.
Together they have achieved such honours as making the Top Celtic Bands of 2017 on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast based in Austin, Tex.; debuting at number seven on the National Folk/Roots/Blues Chart, peaking at number 21 on the iTunes Canada World Music Chart and in first spot on the CFBX – Kamloops, B.C. – Folk/Roots/Blues Chart and getting international airtime in places as diverse as Maui, Hawaii; Glasgow, Scotland; Spall, Germany; Port Hawkesbury, Canada; Reading, England; and Indianapolis, Indiana. Their CD also made Album of the Week on the Blues and Roots Worldwide Radio Network.
The band has received glowing reviews, with comments such as “Lively, Celtic music highlighted by its virtuoso fiddle players and jubilant attitude” from Bucketlist Music Reviews in Montreal, Que., and “Great band. Great CD … I can’t stop listening” from Calum Macdonald of the Celticset in Scotland.
You don’t want to miss this lively evening of music, food and honouring of fellow community members.
Enjoy this look at some of the entries in the 2017 Unity Western Days parade, held in Unity, Saskatchewan, June 3. (See the June 9 and June 16 Press-Herald newspapers for details re winning floats, etc. – this is just a visual post!)
Read all about Unity’s 2017 Citizen of the Year – Si Campbell – in the June 9th issue of the Unity Wilkie Press-Herald! In the local newspaper, you will also find:
Below, Western Days committee member Mary Ann Gaetz introduces the three 2017 rodeo queen candidates to the 200-plus people who came out for the roast beef supper Friday night.
April has arrived, spring has sprung and the first April 2017 issue of the Unity Wilkie Press-Herald will be available for readers who want to:
Be sure to check out the advertisements too for more details on the many events listed on our calendar page, along with sales and specials at several local and area businesses.
Below, at the Unity Community Centre April 1, 2017, the Unity Little Theatre cast of Drinking Habits, when a Cardinal suddenly appears in their midst:
Celebrate Unity is an annual event proudly hosted by the Unity and District Chamber of Commerce and its member businesses. As well as recognizing milestone anniversaries (25 years and up) of local businesses and introducing new businesses to the community, the Chamber acknowledges the efforts of volunteer committees who host big events in town and bestows Exemplary Service awards on nominated outstanding volunteers who have made significant contributions to the quality of life in Unity and district.
The 2017 Exemplary Service award recipients were Sherri Solomko, Grant Huber and Twila Zunti.
Sherri Solomko
Sherri Solomko doesn’t just like to talk or tell stories about how great a community to live in Unity is. She puts her money where her mouth is and works hard to keep Unity a great community.
Not long ago, “Blast from the Past” reminded Press-Herald readers about Sherri winning a Kinnette’s Founder’s Award 20 years ago. The award was given for her participation in local, zone, district and national projects and event. She twice served as Unity Kinnette President and, even after the demise of the club, has continued and is continuing to volunteer for both Secret Santa locally and for the provincial Telemiracle event. Along with the Founder’s Award, in 1993-94 she was given an Outstanding President’s Award and in 2001 she was recognized as Outstanding Telemiracle Representative.
The end of the Unity Kinnette Club did not spell the end of Sherri’s community involvement and volunteer work. She has served on numerous committees hosting big events in Unity, including the CTV Hometown Tour, Riderville and the Western Canadian Midget “B” Softball Championships in 2010, the Rider Pride Hockey Challenge in 2011, the 2014 World Junior “A” Hockey Challenge in 2014, the Montreal Canadiens Alumni Game, the Women’s Junior “B” Provincial Softball Championships in 2015 and the Women’s Junior “B” Western Canadian Softball Championships in 2016.
Sherri was also a member of the committee hosting the first Bantam All-Star Girls’ and Boys’ Provincial Softball Zone Championships; this committee was given an award from Softball Saskatchewan in recognition of their outstanding organization.
When she had a child at Unity Public School, Sherri served on the UPS Community Council and now is an active member of the Positive School Climate Committee at Unity Composite High School. It is during her time on the committee that the PSCC launched its Activate campaign, which continues to draw provincial attention.
Being a member of a family touched by cancer, Sherri takes part in Terry Fox Runs and Relay for Life and has done personal fundraising for these events.
From 2005 to 2013, each year she served as the manager for a Unity Panthers team.
She volunteered for the World Junior Austria versus Latvia game held in Unity a few years ago, and helps organize the junior curling for the Unity Curling Club. She also is the volunteer social media co-ordinator for the curling club. She is a volunteer at her church, including serving as a member of the board. She is on the staff club at the Delta Co-op and co-ordinates their volunteer time with Meals on Wheels.
Sherri is quick to recognize and acknowledge the contributions of others, not only writing stories for the paper but also taking the time to nominate people for awards such as this one and Unity’s Citizen of the Year. Now it is her turn to be recognized, acknowledged and thanked for her exemplary service to her community. Thank you, Sherri.
Grant Huber
Grant Huber has always been an avid curler and, since his return to Unity to set up Huber Machining and raise a family, he has worked endless hours for the Unity Curling Club.
He joined as a committee member in 1998 and took over the President’s position from 2000 to 2004. After that, he continued to serve on the executive until 2016. During that time frame, he has organized and fundraised tirelessly for the new curling rink floor, starting up the Trip of the Month draws (now run by the Golf Course) and the annual Oilperson’s Spiel (first one in 2001 and this past weekend was our 16th year). This bonspiel has been a great fundraiser for our club and still is.
When Grant started as President, the club was in the red. After many years of dedication, organization and hard work, our club is now viable and financially sound.
We have been able to renovate and improve our facility which has helped the club to grow, fill our leagues, increase sponsorships, host major events and plan for the future.
Grant was one of the main pushers behind the scenes, motivating and encouraging the executive and curlers to volunteer their time and energy to get jobs done.
On behalf of the Curling Club Executive and all of the club members, past and present, we would like to thank Grant for his years of dedicated service to the Unity Curling Club.
Twila Zunti
Twila Zunti, busy business owner, busy mother of two, active, competitive barrel racer.
Even while busy planning the upcoming Western Days as part of that committee – of which she has been a key member for a number of years now – she spent the week of May 3rd to 6th, 2016, opening up her trailer and promoting donations from the community to go to relief efforts in the Alberta Wildfires. She didn’t just set up the trailer; she helped people unload their goods and load them in the trailer which she, herself, drove to the Edmonton relief centre the May 6th weekend.
This was the second time she didn’t wait for a call to action; instead she encouraged others by issuing the call to action. This was the second time she took her time from her own busy schedule to not only collect items but to personally deliver them as she also took on this task during the Alberta floods several years ago. The trips were all out of her own pocket.
It’s people like her that make us proud to be from Unity and Saskatchewan.
You have three more days, to and including Friday, February 24, to pick you your early bird price Celebrate Unity tickets at the Unity Credit Union! You don’t want to miss this year’s event, a professional duelling pianos pair from Calgary, Alta.
Brian Burn and Jamie Mahn – Burn ‘N’ Mahn – have been together since 2013 and perform about 150 shows a year, across Canada and on cruise ships. They claim to have driven enough kilometres touring Canada to circle the globe five times!
There are many duelling piano groups out there, as the committee learned in their entertainment search. Burn ‘N’ Mahn are experienced, professional, talented and unique. Not only does the duo travel with two pianos, they also bring, and play, a saxophone, trumpet, flute, recorder, tin whistle, harmonica, accordion, guitar and mandolin.
Of course, you will also get to find out who this year’s exemplary service award winners are. One special group being recognized this year are the hard-working people behind the scenes of the Unity Music Festival, which celebrated its 90th anniversary last year.
The annual gala, sponsored and organized by the Unity and District Chamber of Commerce and member businesses, takes place Monday, March 6 at the Unity Community Centre. The evening includes a catered supper as well as the award presentations and professional entertainment.
Now, here is a little more information about this year’s entertainers:
Brian Burn has been playing professionally for more than 30 years. He started playing piano at age four and started playing with bands in high school. Brian has toured Canada from one end to the other many times and most of the United States. He has been nominated Canadian Country Music keyboard player of the year four times and has won the backup band of the year award twice. Brian also went to Afganistan in 2004 to play for our troops. Over the years Brian has played with many different artists as well as having his own band.
Jamie Mahn made his debut performance at the age of four singing at an Oktoberfest celebration. His first impromptu piano show took place at age 12 at the Holiday Inn, Niagara, N.Y., where he entertained snowbound guests by playing their many requests. Jamie spent his teenage years playing guitar, keyboard, trumpet, bass and sax, gaining experience with his father’s rock and roll band performing at weddings, charity functions and dances. At 21, he joined Carnival Cruise Lines and performed in the piano bars of 10 different ships for three years. Jamie followed that by spending three years in duelling piano bars in the U.S. He has lived and performed in Holland and Singapore.
Yes, it’s Christmas time at the Unity Wilkie Press-Herald office! You do NOT want to miss the December 16th issue, 48 pages of news, Letters to Santa, recipes and more, all for the same low price of only $1.25 at the news stand, less if you’re a subscriber. (Call 306-843-8030 if you want to subscribe, or buy a subscription for someone else – it makes a great last minute gift!)
Along with all the Christmas fun, Friday’s paper will include:
Below, these jolly snowmen liven up the common area at Parkview Place in Unity.
