In 1986, Virginia passed the King’s Dominion Law. This forbids schools from starting before Labor Day so families can hit up theme parks one last time.
Labor Day means something different to everyone. Many enjoy the fact that it is an automatic 3 day weekend while others love the block parties, picnics and barbecues thrown to celebrate it. Some are happy to take advantage of the final days of swimming before colder weather slides in and some are mourning the return to school and the unofficial end of summer. No matter why or how you celebrate it, Labor Day honors those in the workforce. As of this writing, that would be nearly 166 million people in the U.S. alone.
The holiday has evolved over the years from parades in urban areas to a wide variety of activities. While Labor Day resulted over the tensions of laborers, unfair policies, union strikes and events such as the Haymarket Affair, we enjoy a far more lucrative and fair system than our predecessors. We still have a long way to go regarding equality and balance in the labor system but we can be grateful for the sacrifices past workers made to bring us so far and give us the advantages that we have. For us, Labor Day is more about relaxing and enjoying the final days of summer instead of working for scraps and sending our children off to factories. Indeed a feat to be celebrated!
Conversation Ice Breaker Factoid: According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Labor Day is considered the unofficial end of Hot Dog season. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, folks in the Unites States chomp down 7 BILLION hot dogs.
