Sarah Williams
Beaver Staff
Close to 80 years after Lauzon and Peltier would draw national attention to the sleepy town of Bath by orchestrating the country’s largest known bank robbery at that time, Friends of St. Alban’s is breathing new life into this part of local history with Escape St. Alban’s.
After St. Alban’s closed several years ago, the community rallied to revamp the historic church as a community hub, where people could enjoy an assortment of events. Some of the events on offer include concerts, historical UEL webinars, fish frys, dramatic productions, writer’s workshops and yoga. As well, there are tours of the church emphasizing the rare Minton tile frieze found within and a walking tour of local UEL historical sites. There is also a seasonal, outdoor café.
Speaking about the newest event series to occur at St. Alban’s was Sharon Johnson a member of the Friend’s of St. Alban’s Board of Directors.
“The idea was to keep it as a community resource; to provide events and activities that would be of interest to the community,” said Johnson.
When considering what type of events to host at the church, Johnson noted, the group endeavoured to consider which demographics had yet to be attracted. Ultimately, the idea to run an escape room at St. Alban’s was borne of the desire to attract families and a younger demographic to the church.
“We considered the types of events we’re offering and decided we were perhaps not reaching families and younger people,” Johnson noted. “I had been at Macaulay House in Picton and had seen in their museum they had incorporated an escape room which, they said, worked well.”
Apart from offering educational resources and entertainment for the public, the group is hoping to raise funds for much needed renovations to St. Alban’s.
“We’re looking to do things to provide activities for the community and keep the building in good repair,” explained Johnson. “We’ve taken over the church from the dioceses. We aren’t planning on any major renovations, but we would like to add in bathrooms and running water when we can.”
Some of these renovations, as Johnson pointed out, make their way into the narrative of the escape room, wherein the pilfered money is left at the church while the robbers are on the lam.
While the real-life bandits saw jail time for their crimes (with one ultimately dying in jail and another being gunned down elsewhere) Escape from St. Alban’s offers players the chance to explore an alternative ending to Bath’s illustrious bank robbery.
The escape room will run until September, though Johnson is careful to note that, should it prove popular, they are not opposed to extending that date.
Those wanting to participate can do so in groups, with a minimum fee of $100.00. The fee per person is $25.00
For more information about St. Alban’s, please visit: https://stalbanscentre.ca/