Labor Day looms ahead of us, on Sept. 7, the holiday that traditionally celebrates the working folk.
It’s also the traditional transition from summer to fall. That made more sense when Labor Day weekend was the last one before school started, but now many schools open in mid-August.
My mother, a home economics teacher, used to spend Labor Day weekend canning fruit she had picked during the summer. Does anyone do that anymore?
(I think she did that because she was nervous about facing 120 teen-age girls a day in a classroom that contained hot stoves and sharp knives.)
Back to the subject. What DO people do on Labor Day Weekend? Head for Tahoe? Stay in town and enjoy the empty streets while everybody else goes out of town? Barbecue in the backyard? Go to the beach?
I guess you could go to a union picnic. If you belong to a union. If you like picnics.
There must be somebody out there with a unique tradition:
* Lighting one last sparkler saved from July 4 (if city ordinances allow.)
* Inviting everyone over for a James Bond DVD marathon.
* Staging a retro Donkey Kong game party.
We put out the word on Facebook, and got this great response from Tim Hayes of Santa Rosa:
“Ours is a tradition of over 20years standing. A circle of my friends gather in a backyard for a sumptuous brunch feast followed by a frenzy of creative activity in which everyone builds a small water craft.
“A regatta then occurs in which the crafts are pitted against one another the object being to be first to reach the farther end of a shallow pool, about 20 feet in length. The winner is awarded the coveted Ladoga Cup.”
We asked Tim how the cup got its name. His family used to camp at Lake Ladoga, and the cup was one they used there.
“It is a plastic child’s cup with Raggedy Ann and Andy depicted on it. There is some discussion as to what exactly Andy is doing with a large wedge of Swiss cheese,” Tim says.
He sent a photo (see above) of himself with the trophy after one of his victories.
But let’s stay on task here. Who can top Tim? Any other eccentric Labor Day traditions out there? Let us know. Either post it here or email me at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com.
