Happy Labor Day

For many of you out there this is the last great bang before school begins....but for some of us this is a break after three weeks of being in school already.  Here in the South, for the most part, we begin sometime  in early to mid-August and then get out before Memorial Day...unless we miss school because of some freakish snow storm or tornado.  I like this schedule.  I grew up in a system where we DID start the Tuesday after Labor Day and got out in June....if we had not missed school because of a hurricane.  But Labor Day is more than the last hurrah before the end of summer.  That is...Labor Day is supposed to be more than the last hurrah before the end of summer.  So I had to ask....what exactly is Labor Day.  From the name of it, it sounds like we should Labor on this day....but that is not the case at all.  The first Labor Day was held in 1882. Its origins stem from the desire of the Central Labor Union to create a holiday for workers. It became a federal holiday in 1894. It was originally intended that the day would be filled with a street parade to allow the public to appreciate the work of the trade and labor organizations. After the parade, a festival was to be held to amuse local workers and their families. In later years, prominent men and women held speeches. This is less common now, but is sometimes seen in election years. One of the reasons for choosing to celebrate this on the first Monday in September was to add a holiday in the long gap between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. So there you have it.  I remember as a child growing up in an IBEW union household we often did have family picnics on Labor Day with the company my dad was working for.  Those eventually stopped, but the family/friends picnic continued.  We would have huge cookouts in our backyard or up at Juno or Jupiter Beach with family and friends.  I remember loving the chance to gather with friends and family for cookouts.  Those were/are some of my most favorite memories.  So, today as you celebrate this day I hope you enjoy family, friends, the day off, the last hurrah before summer ends....and stay safe.