I’ve been out of town a lot over the last nine months, so the prolonged closure of the American Legion Post 135 hasn’t hit me quite as hard as it could have.
But, wow, it has sure been hard. As something of a night owl and infrequent TV watcher who lives a few blocks south of Forsyth Park here in Savannah, I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I’ve gone to the Legion’s lounge over the last decade or so. (Click here for the Facebook page.)
Since 2012, the great food at Betty Bombers has been a key part of those regular visits.
You can really feel the importance of a vital third place (i.e., an important community gathering point in addition to our first places at home and second places at work) after it’s gone.
Fortunately, while last spring’s fire caused significant damage at the Legion, the place is slowly but steadily coming back to life. (The 2nd floor of course reopened months ago — amazing ballroom.) My Tuesday City Talk column is about the work being done by Home Depot volunteers after a grant from the the corporation’s foundation.
While I was checking out the work and talking to Legion members and dedicated manager Daniel Mulder, I took a few photos on the first floor where work is wrapping up:
