UNITY -- Whether you wanted to sit out of the heat under a shady tented canopy and listen to live music, play on a giant bouncy slide, enjoy a slice of fresh-baked bread, ride in a horse-drawn wagon or old vehicle, try your hand at making rope, play with a live snake or see museum artifacts, there was plenty to see and do at the Unity and District Heritage Museum on Canada Day.
The day began at 8 a.m. with a pancake breakfast hosted by the museum and ended after dark with a fantastic fireworks display put on by the Unity and District Chamber of Commerce.
Unity Legion members were out in full uniform to be the honour guard for the raising of the flag at the official opening ceremonies at noon.
The ceremonies were preceded by a flyover of a 1942 Tiger Moth biplane, owned and flown by Norbert Glatt. Glatt had large Canadian flags mounted between the wings on each side of the plane.
Although the official opening was at noon, there was plenty to do and see all morning, including attending a non-denominational church service at the Swarthmore Church for those so inclined.
The Unity Lions Club ran a popular canteen in the Adanac Hall, serving up hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks and cold treats. Ma and Me Bakery was also there, with many delectable sweet treats available for only $1.
In the afternoon, the Lions also set up and supervised children’s carnival games. Besides carnival games, kids enjoyed the bounce slide, some especially so after water was added to the pool at the bottom during the heat of the day. A treasure pit saw many digging through the sand.
Children and adults of all ages enjoyed rides around the grounds, whether in the wagon pulled by Pat Uzelman’s Clydesdales, the immaculate *** driven by Blair Wagner, or the railroad speeder operated by Jim Reese.
Local musician Sugar Top performed in the big tent, followed by Munro & Patrick from Saskatoon. Many could be seen toe-tapping during both performances.
The Unity Chamber served over 200 pieces of birthday cake in the afternoon.
Curtis Ward of Diamond Valley Reptiles brought some snakes which people were able to see, touch and even hold if they were brave enough.
Besides having buildings open and machinery out on display, the museum put on blacksmithing and small engine demonstrations. People could make a length of rope at the rope making station, which they were then free to take with them.
The demo of bread baking in a clay oven was climaxed by the serving of slices of fresh bread slathered with butter and jam. Museum spokesperson Azure McGonigal said “The fresh bread at the clay oven brought in over $100.”
Museum organizers estimated that in total somewhere between 350 and 400 people came out to take part in at least one aspect of the celebrations. McGonigal said, “We were all happy to see such a good turnout considering July 1 fell on a Saturday.”
Over a hundred people stayed at the grounds to enjoy a beef on the bun supper, before heading home for a break prior to the fireworks display later in the evening.
Kudos to the museum for organizing such a variety of family-friendly activities. The events of the day were made possible with funding from the museum, the chamber, the Town of Unity and a grant from the Government of Canada.
