Commentary below was found at Bruce Wark's website from Sharon Hicks who is an elder lady and
an artist in the Tantramar - website here: Sharon Hicks - About the Artist
Wark's article is here: Divided Tantramar council agrees to explore community building for Ward 4 |
2026-10-22 – OPEN LETTER TO COUNCIL – regarding potential event venues in Ward 4.
At the last Council meeting, there was discussion about building a new event facility in Ward 4. Mention was made of 4 existing facilities currently in Ward 4, which for various reasons were deemed unsuitable for community events. They included the Upper Sackville Music Barn, Mount View Church Hall, the Midgic Church, and the Middle Sackville Church. It was suggested that churches should only be used for church purposes, and it was inferred that gaining access to those facilities was difficult to arrange.
There is another facility located in Ward 4 which was omitted. The historic Upper Sackville Church and Hall, built in 1883, located near the intersection of Pond Shore Rd and Mount View Rd, is used on a fairly regular basis for church and non-church functions, including being the regular meeting place for a local group of ‘witches’.
I personally have made use of that facility 3 times over the past year. In October 2025 we held a reunion for students of the former Upper Sackville School, which included displays and a pot-luck lunch. This past March we organized a book launch celebrating the History of Upper Sackville, including guest speakers from Mount Allison University and Tantramar Heritage Trust, and in August we utilized the facility again as a pickup depot for copies of the second printing of the Upper Sackville book.
The Upper Sackville Church Hall will accommodate medium sized groups, and the sanctuary will seat many more. Amenities include a full kitchen, washroom, and modern sound system. Inquiries and arrangements are easily made by contacting several of the church members, or through the Sackville United Church.
Regarding the other facilities mentioned at the meeting, the Middle Sackville Baptist Church is located on the border between Wards 3 and 4. Their facilities include a substantial vestry and several smaller meeting rooms, plus a large multi-purpose gymnasium.
The vestry and gym, and at least one of the smaller meeting rooms, are regularly rented out for various club meetings, wedding receptions, birthday parties, family reunions, duplicate Bridge games, a quilting group, a weekly art group, election campaign events, polling station for elections, and much more.
Their rental fees are reasonable, they have modern kitchen facilities, multiple washrooms, and everything is meticulously maintained. The Church office is staffed full-time during the week, so it is very easy to obtain information about availability and rental rates, either by phone or by email.
It seems clear, from current usage patterns, that churches are regularly used for non-church activities.
Another possible venue in Ward 4 is the Atlantic Wildlife Institute in Cookville. It has a large building called the Wildlife Learning Centre, where they host information and training sessions for groups of students etc. The building has kitchen and washroom facilities, and could potentially provide another venue for community events. Their contact information is readily available on their website.
There is one more potential venue to consider, near the border between Wards 3 and 4. On Church St, near the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum, there is a large red barn which was recently purchased by a young entrepreneur who plans to convert it into a venue for public gatherings. While still in the early stages, it should be included as part of an overall study of potential venues.
One important question to consider is whether the local citizens would agree to have their tax dollars spent on building a new facility which would in effect be direct competition for existing locations trying to earn enough from rental income to help maintain their premises.
Respectfully submitted for information purposes,
Sharon Hicks"
"Witches'" Church referenced here: Upper Sackville United Church | Heritage Guide
Tantramar has a lot of great old churches....
The spacious venue used for the "Beausejour Forum" in 2025 before the last Federal election was also in this part of the region.. near Silver Lake. [photos above from that event] My accounts from Youtube and X were deleted March 2026 removing my record of this event.
Website here: churchbythelake.ca
Facebook: The Church by the Lake | Sackville NB | Facebook
