Labor Day Greetings

Here is a little trivia:
The song Rosie the Riveter was already popular when Actor Walter Pidgeon discovered the real thing--Rose Will Monroe, a Ford employee who built B-24 and B-29 bombers at the Willow Run Assembly Plant in Michigan.
Rose went on to make war bond promotional films and was the inspiration for the Rosie the Riveter poster, symbolizing all U.S. women who worked in manufacturing jobs to support the World War II effort. She passed away in 1997

The origin of Labor Day :
Because of long hours and low pay, the idea of organizing workers according to their trades propigated because of a young man named Peter McGuire. He organized a march and held meetings (to organize unions) that spread around the country. Factory workers, dock workers and tool makers all began to demand and get their rights to an eight-hour workday, a secure job and a future in their trades.

Peter McGuire and laborers in other cities planned a holiday for workers on the first Monday in September, halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving Day. On September 5, 1882 the first Labor Day parade was held in New York City. Twenty thousand workers marched in a parade up Broadway. They carried banners that read "LABOR CREATES ALL WEALTH," and "EIGHT HOURS FOR WORK, EIGHT HOURS FOR REST, EIGHT HOURS FOR RECREATION!" After the parade there were picnics all around the city. Workers and celebrants ate Irish stew, homemade bread and apple pie. At night, fireworks were set off. Within the next few years, the idea spread from coast to coast, and all states celebrated Labor Day. In 1894, Congress voted it a federal holiday.

Today we celebrate Labor Day with a little less fanfare on the first Monday of September. Some cities have parades and community picnics. Many politicians "kick off' their political campaigns by holding rallies on the holiday. Most Americans consider Labor Day the end of the summer, and the beaches and other popular resort areas are packed with people enjoying one last three-day weekend.

Wishing you all a relaxing, safe and wonderful holiday. I enjoy the 3 day weekend, but hate the end of summer. Especially this year. It just seemed to go by so fast...I didn't really get to enjoy it. All work and very little play.