Sugar Hill's Third Places
A Third Place is essentially a gathering place designed to build community.
Town Squares. Where have they gone? Historically towns and small cities were built around Town Squares. They served not only as meeting places for the dissemination of important community information, but also as gathering places, public living rooms where community relationships were built, and people learned to care for one another. The first American suburbs were introduced in the 1940s and homes began to be developed in the form of neighborhoods rather than in communities with town squares. Today we rely upon Nextdoor and Facebook to learn about our community and neighbors. These platforms allow for the rapid dissemination of community information, but do we really “know” our neighbors? Seeking out a local Third Place might help!
What Is A Third Place? If you’ve never heard of a Third Place you’re not alone, but chances are you’ve already enjoyed spending time in a Third Place without recognizing that it had a cool, trendy name. A Third Place is essentially a gathering place designed to build community. A place where you can just show up, hang out with friends, bump into neighbors, have a cup of coffee or an ice cream, and engage in a conversation with someone you’ve known for years, or someone you’ve just met because they happened to share your table or park bench. Sounds a lot like The Promenade in downtown Sugar Hill, doesn’t it? Cornhole, ice cream, coffee, music, and comfy sofa seating... you see, you have already enjoyed spending time in a Third Place!
American Legion Post 127 is another one of Sugar Hill’s Third Places. Originally established in 1921 in Buford, GA, Post 127 moved to its new home at 6196 Suwanee Dam Road, just north of the golf course in Sugar Hill in 2021.
The Sugar Hill Legion hosts a large number of events not only for its members, but also for the community. Activities include trivia, karaoke, music bingo, comedy shows, a local cornhole league, and more. You can find a full list of their community events at: Mark Your Calendar - American Legion Post 127 Sugar Hill, GA (legion127.us).
As part of the legion’s mission to foster an American spirit, the patriotic veterans at Post 127 will also assist community members in retiring American flags that have proudly displayed outside their homes. American flags should be retired when they are no longer a “fitting emblem of display”. Guidelines for retirement include tearing of the flag’s fabric, fraying on the flag’s edges, fading of the flag’s colors, or holes in the flag’s fabric. Stop by the Legion Hall and you will find a drop box located just outside its building to accept any American flag in need of retirement.
The Legion is also home to Canteen 127, a casual eatery and bar where you can stop by any day of the week to gather with friends and neighbors to enjoy a meal or just hang out. The Sugar Hill Legion is a place where it is easy to become a regular. Do you remember the 80s sitcom Cheers, and the camaraderie that the patrons of Cheers shared? That sense of community, a place “where everybody knows your name”, is a tangible reality at the Sugar Hill Legion Hall.
“The American Legion was created to support our veterans and promote the American spirit. The Sugar Hill Post has been built up to be inviting to all ages of patriots as well as veterans. Come see for yourself that no matter how and enjoyable and current the post is, our mission is purely American!” ~ Commander Jason Treadway
So stop by, bump into a friend, and learn someone’s name at this wonderfully inviting Sugar Hill Third Place.
