Dodgeball And a Third Place

dodgeball night
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

Grownups play pickup games of dodgeball on Friday nights at Cal Anderson Park. Cal Anderson Park is a true third place: a third space after home and work to establish a sense of community and of place. It is one of my favorite spots on the hill because there is always something going on at the park.

Friday night I happened across the weekly dodgeball game. The mix was about 5% girls to 95% boys. They were having some serious fun! I want to play too, but I suck at throwing. I'd be a good blocker though!

What else makes Cal Anderson Park a "third place?" Any day, any time, people gather and sit and talk and eat and drink and read and talk some more. Besides the outdoor-living-room type of park use, all sorts of unofficial, inclusive, and socially engaging activities take place at the park: bicycle polo, a marching band playing at 1 a.m., a big group of folks singing "total eclipse of the heart" on Teletubby Hill during the lunar eclipse, people practicing their hooping and dancing. And, of course, dog walking and playground playing.

Cal Anderson Park is a gem and is our third place for many of us Capitol Hill residents.