Labor Day marks end of summer, and other facts from the library

Annie Gilmer

Sept. 2, 2019 marks the 125th anniversary of Labor Day being recognized as a national holiday. Labor Day is always celebrated on the first Monday of September, though the first Labor Day holiday was actually celebrated on Tuesday, Sept.5 back in 1882 in New York City. This was organized by the Central Labor Union and they held their second celebration on the same day a year later.

These first celebrations, however, occurred more than a decade before President Grover Cleveland would sign a law to make the first Monday in September officially a national holiday. While today the purpose of Labor Day is to recognize the contributions and triumphs of American workers, it was originally conceived by the labor movement to honor the efforts of laborers but to also highlight their plight.

The late 1800s saw the height of the Industrial Revolution. This meant people of all ages, including children as young as 5, working in factories in mostly highly dangerous conditions. With limited breaks, inadequate air circulation, unsanitary conditions, and often 12-hour days and 7-day work weeks strikes and protests were an inevitable outcome. Laborers rioted, leading to several infamous events that ended in the deaths of workers and policemen – the Haymarket Riot in Chicago in 1886 was one such event.

And so, the idea of a “workingmen’s holiday” was born. It’s still unclear who exactly is responsible for the original idea of a Labor Day holiday; the idea is often attributed to Peter McGuire, the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew McGuire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union.

Today, Labor Day is often celebrated with parades and barbeques and unofficially marks the end of summer as school gets back into full swing for the fall.

Coming Up: 

All branches closed on Monday, Sept.2, 2019 for Labor Day.

Aulds, 742-2337  

Saturday, Aug. 31 @ 2 p.m. – Come & Go: Kids Crafternoon, ages 3-12

Benton,  965-2751  

Friday, Sept. 6 @ 10 a.m. – Baby Laptime, ages 0-2

Central, 746-1693   

Saturday, Aug. 31 @ 11 a.m. – Family Storytime, all ages

Tuesday, Sept. 3 @ 5 p.m. – Dungeons & Dragons, ages 13 and up

Wednesday, Sept. 4 @ 11 a.m. – Wiggle Wednesday, ages 3-5

*Delayed Opening Friday, Aug. 30 from 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.*

East 80, 949-2665  

Tuesday, Sept. 3 @ 10:30 a.m. – Adult Coloring, ages 18 and up

Haughton, 949-0196  

Friday, Aug. 30 @ 10 a.m. – Fourth Friday Trivia, ages 18 and up

History Center, 746-7717

Thursday, Sept. 5 @ 6 p.m. – Pages Past, An American History Book Club: The Trian to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell, ages 18 and up

Plain Dealing,  326-4233  

Sunday, Sept. 1 @ 10 a.m. – Internet Class: Setting Up an Email or Social Media Account, ages 18 and up 

Tooke, 987-3915  

Tuesday, Sept. 3 @ 4 p.m. – Once Upon a Storytime, ages 0-5

Community Engagement

Friday, Sept. 6 – Books & Brews @ Retro 521 Café, ages 18 and up

Friday, Sept. 6 – Twilight Talkie @ R.W. Norton Art Gallery: The Greatest Showman, all ages

New Materials:

• Boss Up! by Lindsay Teague Moreno (Non-Fiction; Book)

• The Catholic School by Edoardo Albinati (Fiction; Book)

• Dahlia Black by Keith Thomas (Fiction; Book, eBook)

• Devotion by Madeline Stevens (Fiction; Book, eBook)

• The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal (Fiction; Book, eBook)

• Let’s Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry (YA Fiction; Book)

• The Man in the White Linen Suit by David Handler (Fiction; Book, eBook)

• The Russia Account by Stephen Coonts (Fiction; Book, eBook)

• The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais (YA Fiction; Book, eBook)

• Th1rt3en (Thirteen) by Steve Cavanagh (Fiction; Book, eBook).

Annie Gilmer is community engagement librarian at Bossier Parish Public Libraries.