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By Karen Range, Resident Labor Day, which this year occurs on Sept. 1, is a day when most people in the US do not labor (at least not at their jobs). For most people Labor Day is a day off from work and the three- day weekend is often celebrated with parades, picnics, fireworks, family gatherings and grilling. In fact, Labor Day is tied with Memorial Day as the second most popular day for grilling. Although summer doesn't officially end until fall begins on Sept. 22, Labor Day is thought of as the "unofficial end of summer." Most vacations have been taken by then, many schools resume right after the Labor Day holiday, and Labor Day weekend marks the start of many fall sports. History Labor Day became a national federal holiday in 1894 after Congress passed a bill recognizing the first Monday of September as Labor Day and President Grover Cleveland signed it into law on June 28,1894. Before Labor Day became a national holiday, however, individual states began to establish a day to honor labor. Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day an official public holiday back in 1887. By the time Labor Day became a federal holiday, 30 states had already been officially celebrating it. The 1800s were a turning point for the United States as industrialization changed nearly every part of life. The American economy shifted from farming to industry, leading to more factories, bigger cities, and a rise in manufacturing output. In the early 1800s, most Americans worked on farms. Farming was the main job for both families and communities. But by the mid-to- late 1800s, many people were leaving rural areas and moving to cities to look for work in factories. Labor Day was established to recognize the American labor movement and the contributions of workers to America's strength, prosperity, and well-being. The seeds were sown in the late 19th century during the Industrial Revolution, a period of harsh working conditions, long hours, and child labor. As trade unions and labor movements grew in strength and started to champion the rights of workers, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to honor American workers. Thus, on Labor Day, "we celebrate not just a day off, but the countless hours of hard work that drive our progress." (Quote attributed to Henry Ford) 12 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | SEPTEMBER 2025 By eresa Rossetti, Resident Have your own words at some point come back to haunt you? Recently, this happened to us. We were bested by our 13-year-old grandson. Let me explain, so you can learn from my mistake. In June, he (the hoodwinker) graduated from middle school. Since the Hubs and I are sick and tired of buying him sports jerseys, we made the mistake of asking what he wanted as a graduation present. We should have been suspicious when he didn't answer right away. At some point I told him that I was gifted a watch by my parents when I graduated from eighth grade, and a typewriter when I graduated from high school. Very practical parents were mine. Since the Hubs remembers nothing of his years before he was lucky enough to meet me, he had no idea what gifts he was given. As we were getting ready to go home, we asked again and he very innocently looked at us and said, "Since you got a watch for graduation, I'd like one as well." The next thing I knew we were on our way to a certain store named after some fruit to purchase, you guessed it, an Apple Watch. I'm not sure how much the watch I received back then would be worth in today's dollars, but I'm fairly sure it wouldn't match that of the newest technology, which I have been assured "everyone in my class already has." Hoist By My Own Petard (Or how I fell into my own trap) LABOR DAY

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