How an Empty School Became the Heart of Town

The Village of Abbey, Sask., population 100, has a combo gas station/convenience store/hardware store, a bar that was once an old saloon, a post office and a church. There’s a historic fire hall, an apartment building, a grain elevator and a curling and skating rink. And then there’s the ABC Community Centre, the beating heart of it all.

Over the years, as farms grew larger due to corporate consolidation — meaning fewer families were needed to run them — Abbey’s population dwindled. When the local school closed its doors in 2012, the community saw an opportunity. The plan, at first, was modest: use the gym as a space for meetings and events, since the town’s previous one had been condemned. The rest of the building would simply be blocked off.

“Today, every room in this building is utilized for something,” says Jenn Biensch, the centre’s Economic Development Officer. First came the hall. Then one classroom became a fitness room, and another was transformed into a games room complete with a snooker table and shuffleboard — a golf simulator is now on the way. Two more classrooms now house a volunteer-run thrift store, and another has become flexible rental space. The old school library kept doing exactly what it always did.

Last year brought a major overhaul of the outdoor space, too: an updated playground and a spacious new outdoor pavilion, built to host markets and community events.

People come to the centre to celebrate anniversaries and to grieve together at funerals. They also come out to support it directly — a steak-and-lobster fundraiser last March raised $70,000 for maintenance.

All programming for children is offered free of charge, and a $200 yearly family membership opens the door to everything else, including 24/7 access to the fitness centre, tennis and pickleball courts and more. The centre also runs a wide range of workshops, teaching farmers new cropping techniques and strategies, helping seniors get comfortable with their phones and Facebook, and even showing neighbours how to paint or bake sourdough bread. Many of these programs are subsidized to keep them within reach for everyone. Financial support for the centre comes through grants, along with donations from corporations and community members.

“Everybody is really invested, because they want to see it thrive — it’s our building,” Biensch says. “It’s brought a renewed life to our little village and our community. You don’t always have to go to the city for the opportunity to have a good and a successful life.”

Fall brings a full calendar to the centre, with a craft fair and trade show featuring local artisans and vendors, and a career fair in which professionals and entrepreneurs — from agricultural producers to bankers to mechanics and more — show young people the opportunities available right in their own backyard. The season also boasts an awards night, where the community gathers once more, this time to celebrate its own, honouring the youth, volunteers, leaders, and philanthropists who keep Abbey moving forward. CAA