Well, it’s Friday on the forward cusp of Labor Day Weekend! I’m cheating a bit by excerpting from Wikipedia (below) regarding the history of Labor Day, if you’re interested.
Dianne and I have been running like crazy all summer long, and I am now, like so many people, getting ready for a big bash out on the deck tonight! My advice is for you to enjoy this weekend and REALLY take some time off. Unlike other holidays, where people with extra time off work tend to congregate somewhat guiltily around the barbeque on what is a more somber, reflective day (Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Presidents Day, etc…) Labor Day is for YOU! It is actually time off for the purpose of enjoying time off!
Now… I am not saying if you find the home of your dreams, that Dianne or I will not be there for you (we are neve too busy for our Property Blotter readers : ) BUT, please enjoy yourself this weekend. That is an order (you have official permission)!
Here is what Wikipedia says about Labor Day:
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September, that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. It was first nationally recognized in 1894 to placate unionists following the Pullman Strike. With the decline in union membership, the holiday is generally viewed as a time for barbeques and the end of summer vacations.[1]
Labor Day has come to be celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable to wear white[8] or seersucker.[9][10]
In 1882, Matthew Maguire, a machinist, first proposed the holiday while serving as secretary of the CLU (Central Labor Union) of New York.[2] Others argue that it was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in May 1882,[3] after witnessing the annual labour festival held in Toronto, Canada.[4] Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday on February 21, 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.[3]
Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, the United States Congress unanimously voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday; President Grover Clevelandsigned it into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[1] The September date originally chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation’s trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers’ Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would be associated with the nascent Communist, Syndicalist and Anarchist movements that, though distinct from one another, had rallied to commemorate the Haymarket Affair in International Workers’ Day.[5] All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.
In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. NCAA teams usually play their first games the weekend of Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race was held that day from 1950 to 1983 in Darlington, South Carolina. AtIndianapolis Raceway Park, the National Hot Rod Association hold their finals to the U.S. Nationals drag race.
In the U.S., most school districts that started summer vacation 1-2 weeks into June will resume school the day after this day (see First Day of School), while schools that had summer vacation begin on the Saturday before Memorial Day in late May will have already been in session since late August. However this tradition is changing as many school districts end 1-2 weeks into June and begin mid-August.