There’s a lot of talk about the importance of “third places” in people’s lives these days. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg introduced the concept of the “third place” in the book, The Great Good Place.
He called third places the “anchors of community life”. Third places are locations like coffee shops, churches, curling rinks, and parks, where people can gather away from their home and workplace, which are usually recognized as the first and second places in people’s lives, respectively.
These third places, or the places you choose to spend time, are important for connecting people and giving them something welcoming and familiar.
I look around my neighbourhood and recognize that the third places, where I run into neighbours, meet new people, and feel comfortable, are all around me.
Our community pharmacy, a café, and a Greek restaurant all are important parts of my life. They are places that matter to me.
Last year, the Fort William Gardens hosted the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The event brought together the best Canadian women curlers to the “Centre of Curling Canada”, Thunder Bay, for the championship. We all gathered together in the Gardens, cheering on the curlers.
As I watched the action on the ice, I also spent time admiring this old gem of a building. The Fort William Gardens is a revered third place for many people. For me, I have many fond memories of the building. I took figure skating lessons there when I was six years old. I enjoyed Friday night skating with my friends, where you never wanted to be on the end of the line for the whiplash release! I went to my first rock concert at the Gardens – Lighthouse - and then went back to see Bob Dylan in the same building. I went to Remembrance Day services, circuses, Christmas parties, hockey games, flea markets, and dance recitals at the Folklore Festival there. I was recently able to share the Gardens experience with my nieces who had moved away from Thunder Bay when they were children and came back to enjoy the Scotties tournament.
I even remember discussing a retrofit of the Fort William Gardens on CBC Radio’s Morningside with Peter Gzowski many years ago. On that episode I told Peter that the men’s washroom now featured a baby change table! Yes, that was many years ago!
The Fort William Gardens is an old building. It’s patched up and showing its age like all of us who are lucky enough to get older. We may buy the anti-aging makeup but we still get older, anyway. The Gardens is one of my favourite places in Thunder Bay. It’s one of my “third places” where I feel comfortable and have wonderful memories. What are your cherished memories of this grand building?
Note: In looking for memories photos for this article, I came across a YouTube video of Bob Dylan’s encore “It Ain’t Me Babe” at his August 27, 1992 concert at the Fort William Gardens. I was there! This concert was before Bob received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
