Every Thursday, Star Shooters has Dollar Beer Night, but every week, Thursday can not come fast enough.
It’s not the cheap beer that keeps me coming. Thursdays are special in my heart because Dollar Beer Night is my third place.
Humans need a place that isn’t home, work or school: A place to gather, socialize and build relationships. Over the years, society has dwindled how many of these third places exist. The world is not what it used to be.
Everyone’s parents talk about the good old days, but what made them good? I think it was the surplus of third places, allowing people to gather more.
Nobody goes out and plays cards like they used to. When we want to get out of the house, where is everyone going? It’s not like there are too many options in a small town. We have a roller rink and a bowling alley.
I never liked beer. I was, and on occasion, still am a hard cider girl. It wasn’t until the lows of being a college student and a server in the slow season.
One cold January night came, and my roommates were going for their obligatory Thursday night beer. It had been one of those academic weeks, so I tagged along to the bar on a weekday.
My friends are beer connoisseurs, so I have copped a sip here and there out of curiosity. In January, I ordered my first Michelob Ultra.
In my humble opinion, a Michelob Ultra is the easiest beer for non-beer enthusiasts. Everyone says it’s Coors and I disagree, but it’s all astringent anyway.
How did I go from ordering my first beer to calling Dollar Beer Night my third place? Camaraderie, tradition, my bank account, my roommate’s favorite card game “garbage,” there’s much to unpack.
We all go through this college thing together. We don’t all have the same course load, but most of us know what it’s like to make a discussion post and reply to at least three other people.
We know how tedious some weeks can be and how heavy life can feel fighting to get a degree on top of work and other responsibilities and then a social life on top of that.
To have a place where all your people go to blow off steam and let the week go is crucial to my mental health.
I like a routine. If I miss class, it throws off my entire week. Every Thursday from 8 p.m. to midnight is my designated friend time.
I might go all week without seeing my upstairs roommates, but I can always count on them to show up for dollar beers right after work, no excuses.
Our house has gone through many decks of cards this semester. Some have been lost to table spills, others borrowed and never returned and a few lost. However, there’s always a deck of cards at our table.
Whether it’s just the two of us or a whole group packed around a table, any game of cards is usually easy to play and hard to get bored of. It helps to bring everyone into the moment.
The usual game is garbage, a simple favorite that keeps us entertained until someone suggests euchre or blackjack. Something about it feels like a tradition now.
Of course, no card night is complete without something to sip on, and for a college student, there’s no better deal than a dollar beer. I don’t even like beer. I’ll always choose a hard cider if I have the option. But if it’s a dollar? I’ll drink it.
Dollar-anything nights are a lifeline for students. We’re already spending thousands on tuition and textbooks, just trying to keep up with life. Finding a way to stretch a few bucks for a night out makes a big difference.
And while we’re out here making the most of those deals, don’t forget to tip your servers generously. They’re doing a lot more than pouring cheap drinks, they’re helping us hold onto the little joys of being in college.
These small moments, these familiar places, matter more than we realize. Whether it’s the bar down the street, a table in the corner or someone’s living room; having a third place, somewhere that isn’t school, work or home, is essential.
It’s where we unwind, reconnect and remember that there’s life outside of deadlines and discussion boards. It’s where we feel like ourselves again, even if it’s just from 8 p.m. to midnight.
In college, that kind of space isn’t just comforting, it’s necessary.