A Third Place can be a Winner

I liked this blog post, "Does your community need a coffee shop and other third places?". "Third Places" are described in the post as informal gathering places like cafes, bookstores, public squares, main streets, etc. that fulfill a role in community building that our more structured places such as home and work stifle. The role of the "third places" is to provide an arena for interaction, relationship building, and development of a sense of community within a neutral, accessible, hospitable environment, with a comfortable ease of entrance and exit. In my youth in Hickman County, that place was often called "Earline's" and the entrance was marked with flashing neon and exit was painless, though definitely not effortless. Times have changed, mostly for the better.

Having "third places" in Hickman County create access points into our community where residents, no matter their tenure, and visitors can sample and acquire a sense of place.