A quintessential wedding ceremony venue is on the market for new owners.
The building, Water Valley Church Community Events, has been the community hub and event centre for the town for the last three years since Kristine Sarsons and her husband, Rick, first took it over in 2013.
“We hope somebody will just continue the business that we started. It really is doing really well,” Sarsons said.
The church, formerly known as Christ the King Church, was first established in 1936 and for the following 65 years was maintained as a Catholic worship.
After the Sarsons gained ownership, the building had been abandoned for a number of years and in need of a fix up.
“Everything needed some love,” Sarsons said. “We made it our goal to … bring the original beauty back while giving it a new life and purpose without too many changes.”
It’s now a modern-day venue with a rustic southern charm and hosts anything from parties, workshops to concerts, and most of all, wedding ceremonies.
The building still features its original hardwood floors, though they have been refinished, choir loft, windows, woodwork and glass door knobs.
The couple added new washrooms and fixed all the plumbing and the electrical work.
Several crystal chandeliers hang from its copper pressed ceiling.
“We just hosted good times there. The weddings are joyful and happy and people are just excited to be there.”
Sarsons said the structure of the building made it ideal for concerts.
“Music is just amazing in there. The acoustics are phenomenal,” she said.
“Everything we do there is fun.”
Sarson jokes how Water Valley is the ideal wedding location.
“We have the ceremony at the church, the reception at the hall, the rehearsal dinner at the saloon. We have a caterer out here – it’s just become a little wedding spot.”
Though she enjoyed working on the venue, Sarsons said she and her husband are ready to move on.
“We got this one finished and up and running and doing well so it’s time to find a new project,” Sarsons said. “That’s what my husband and I do and love.”
The commercial property is half an acre and includes a three-bedroom and two-bathroom house.
“It is a long-loved landmark that a huge number of people, who grew up here and live in the area, still love.”
