Iconic Corner Gas set in Rouleau, Sask., demolished
Faux gas station, restaurant no longer safe for public use, producers say
It was a sad day in Dog River on Friday as the famous set of the Canadian TV comedy Corner Gas was knocked down.
The faux gas station and Ruby restaurant in Rouleau, Sask., were the main outdoor sets used during six seasons of the show.
For years, they have been tourist attractions just outside the town, located about 65 kilometres southwest of Regina.
However, the gas station made famous by series star Brent Butt was built on a bog in 2003. It has been slowly sinking, according to a news release from the show's producers.
"The foundation is beyond repair. The set is no longer safe for public use and will therefore be dismantled on Nov. 4, when the lease on the property expires," the release said.
Butt noted the passing on his Twitter account.
Well, we knew this day would come. The old <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CornerGas?src=hash">#CornerGas</a> station set has to finally come down. But, GOOD NEWS... >> <a href="https://t.co/dmDiNvjICT">https://t.co/dmDiNvjICT</a> <a href="https://t.co/NfPK2nCsPn">pic.twitter.com/NfPK2nCsPn</a>
—@BrentButt"It's a sad day, there's no question about it," Virginia Thompson, the executive producer of Corner Gas, said Friday as heavy equipment pushed around rubble and debris from the knocked-down structures. "We've had so much fun in this location, so you look back and you think back to the history of Corner Gas and you go, 'Wow.'"
Thompson said the structures were designed as set pieces and were not built to last a long time.
"It's really not a place where the public should be visiting anymore," she said.
The land, Thompson noted, is not suitable for a permanent structure.
There were plans, Thompson added, to preserve elements of the set and note the location in Rouleau.
She said some of the most iconic pieces will end up at the Western Development Museum, which has locations around the province.
For next summer, there are plans in the works to put up a Corner Gas commemorative sign and a detailed map for a walking tour of Dog River, the fictional town where the series was set.
The self-guided tour will include stops at the original site of the gas station and restaurant, plus "downtown Dog River," the grain elevator, water tower and Corner Gas character cut-outs for photo opportunities.
