PRESS RELEASE

PRAIRIE VISIONARY TOWS 65 TON VINTAGE CHURCH

50 KMS ACROSS SASKATCHEWAN TO LAUNCH

CANADA’S NEWEST ARTS CENTRE

THE SAVILLE THEATRE

ON THE MOVE NEXT WEEK!

RAVENSCRAG, Saskatchewan, May 15^th – Prairie visionary Jim Saville is set to tow a vintage church 50 kms. on May 17^th from Consul, to his guest ranch situated in southwest Saskatchewan between the Montana Badlands and the famed Cypress Hills.  The budding impresario plans to run it as an arts centre.  The opening show at the new Saville Theatre will be announced at a later date.  

Saville hopes to revitalize this corner of Saskatchewan and run the arts and entertainment centre for all arts-related events from performance art, dinner theatre to opera, classical music, concerts, and cinema  to drama workshops, poetry readings, dances and art exhibits where local and regional artists can show their work.

Towing buildings is not new to Saville.  He’s already a legend in Saskatchewan for having towed his guest house, an original three-story Eaton’s catalogue house (circa 1913), 160 kms. in 1988 from Irvine, Alberta.  His Spring Valley Guest Ranch, south of the Cypress Hills, opened the same year

It’s the second time the roving church has been moved.  Originally built as a Roman Catholic Church in 1949 at Lemsford, Sask., it was subsequently purchased by the United Church of Canada which moved it to Consul in 1987.   The church was deconsecrated in December, 2005.

The church steeple is 45 feet tall, and the building is 30 feet wide and 70 feet long with a full basement and a porch.  Constructed of wood, the church-- which comes with a full basement--seats 200.  Currently Saville is excavating the site in Consul while simultaneously building a foundation at his ranch where the church will sit, joining the existing saloon.  Saville spent three days ripping out parts of the basement floor to make space for the wheels to be set under when the church is jacked up on May 15 and 16.

The actual moving of the church is a five-day effort, entailing two days to load on to a semi-truck trailer, one day to move and two days to unload.  Hydro lines and hills present challenges en route.  Ten power lines must be cut to allow the steeple to pass through. Saville reckons the bill from Saskatchewan Power will be $5,000, close to the price he paid for the church.  Loading will start on May 15^th, the church will be on the move on May 17^th.

Although the road is flat for most of the route, another obstacle is the hill down to Saville’s ranch, situated in a valley. To avoid the crest of the hill at the main entrance, the mover plans to take the old road which a dirt mover has widened and leveled.  “He doesn’t want any tipping,” says Saville, who admits, “I must be insane, but insanity is so exciting.”  Redecoration and hooking up the amenities are the next steps.

Born in Maple Creek in 1955, Saville was raised on his parents nearby ranch.  His other achievements include raising seven breeds of heritage chickens, one of which he developed himself—the Marville --  which lays dark green eggs, a cross between Americauna (pale blue eggs) and French Maran (dark chocolate coloured eggs).  In addition he has four breeds of rare cattle:  Irish Kerry, Scottish Highland, Ancient White Park and Canadienne.

Saville reckons The Saville Theatre will be up and running by mid-summer, 2006.  Check www.springvalleyguestranch.com for a progress report.