Well, another Labor Day is rolling around again. Where does the time go? Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the Fourth of July! In case you don’t already know, here are a few facts concerning Labor Day:

• Canada led off with the idea in 1872. Parades and other festivities honored workers following The Trade Union Act, which legalized and protected union activities.
• In the United States, the Central Labor Union followed suit, and started the holiday for workers in 1882.
• Labor Day became a federal holiday in the U.S. in 1894.
• Labor Day is observed on the first Monday in September.

Now that we have our facts behind us, we hope that your Labor Day holiday will be a safe one. We know that most Americans regard this holiday as the official winding up of summer fun, the beginning of school, start of football season, and last holiday until Thanksgiving.

As the dog days of summer are here, make the most of the long weekend (September 4th -September 7th) by traveling safely, allowing plenty of extra time to get to your destination and back home, in order to avoid a ticket from your friendly state trooper.

If you are going on an outing, such as fishing, camping, hiking, etc., be sure to take along your sunscreen, first aid kit, sunglasses, insect repellent, and protective gear. Because the weather is still warm, you’ll want to keep all perishable food items cold, and not leave them out of the ice chest for more than one hour. Taking along a NOAA weather radio would be a good plan, too, as this time of the year, there may be weather changes that would affect your outdoor activities.

We hope the weekend will be a good one for you, and that you go back to your job rested and/or energized for fall. Play it safe, whatever you choose to do.