Where do people gather to meet in our communities? Where do we arrange to meet someone for a visit? Where do we hold our reunions or planning meetings for upcoming events? Where do we bump into friends and acquaintances and then stay to chat awhile?

The answers to all of these questions are our community meeting places. Community meeting places may be cafes, street benches, parks,community centres, school buildings, libraries, and more. Our meeting places foster good relationships between individuals and groups by getting us out of our private homes and into shared public spaces where we interact with each other.

A common problem in communities is a lack of meeting places or exclusive meeting places such as churches which sometimes only welcome members. In the Winter 1998 survey to Woolwich households we asked “Where are the meeting places in your community?” The following is a list of some of the answers. If you know of other meeting places in your communities which are open to all please call Joy Finney at 664-3794 x230 and help us make this list more accurate.

Bloomingdale: The Old Marina
Breslau: the Homesteader
Conestogo: Conestogo General Store
Elmira: Elmira Sip and Bite, Don King’s Barber Shop, Becker’s at the Selby’s Freshmart Plaza, Tien Lee Restaurant.
Heidelberg: the Post Office in Home Hardware, the school, community park
Maryhill: Commercial Tavern, Variety Store
Rosendale: in Bloomingdale at the Old Marina or in Breslau at the Homesteader