|
Event
Information:
The
National Symphony Orchestra performs
a free Labor Day Concert on the West
Lawn of the U.S. Capitol each year,
the Sunday before Labor Day. The
annual concert, produced by the
Kennedy Center, celebrates the
beginning of the –
performing arts season with three
legends of Washington music: Sousa,
Ellington, and the Godfather of
Go-Go Chuck Brown. Labor Day is a
United States federal holiday
observed on the first Monday in
September (September 5 in ).
The
first Labor Day in the United States
was observed on September 5, 1882,
by the Central Labor Union of New
York It became a federal holiday in
1894, when, following the deaths of
a number of workers at the hands of
the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals
during the Pullman Strike, President
Grover Cleveland put reconciliation
with the labor movement as a top
political priority. Fearing further
conflict, legislation making Labor
Day a national holiday was rushed
through Congress unanimously and
signed into law a mere six days
after the end of the strike. The
September date originally chosen by
the CLU of New York and observed by
many of the nation's trade unions
for the past several years was
selected rather than the more
widespread International Workers'
Day because Cleveland was concerned
that observance of the latter would
stir up negative emotions linked to
the Haymarket Affair, which it had
been observed to commemorate. All
U.S. states, the District of
Columbia, and the territories have
made it a statutory holiday.
Traditionally, Labor Day is
celebrated by most Americans as the
symbolic end of the summer. In high
society, Labor Day is (or was)
considered the last day of the year
when it is fashionable for women to
wear white.
In
U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the
beginning of the NFL and college
football seasons. NCAA teams usually
play their first games the week
before Labor Day, with the NFL
traditionally playing their first
game the Thursday following Labor
Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto
race was held that day from 1950 to
1983 in Darlington, South Carolina.
At Indianapolis, the National Hot
Rod Association hold their finals to
the U.S. Nationals drag race. Most
school districts that started summer
vacation in mid june will resume
school near this day (schools that
had summer begin near memorial day
will have already been in session
for about 3 weeks).
Local
Weather:
|
