With Labor Day approaching in less than 10 days, the Western Kentucky Labor Day Committee, made up of local union members and other volunteers, is gearing up for the 47th annual Labor Day Parade in downtown Paducah
This year’s parade will be the first since 2019, with concerns over COVID-19 canceling the parade for the past two years. The Labor Day committee is also hosting a Labor Day celebration at Carson Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 5 after the parade, with free family activities scheduled and vendors available for people to buy food and drinks.
Labor Day Parade Coordinator David Yates said this year’s parade is taking its traditional route down Broadway, with the parade starting at Broadway and Second Street and continuing down Broadway to 17th Street. of the parade will begin around 9:30 a.m. on Labor Day, September 5th. Yates said the parade should last about an hour.
The Labor Day parade usually draws about 20 floats from local unions, businesses and other community supporters, Yates said.
While many may see Labor Day as a sign of the end of summer, or just another day off from school or work, Yates said the meaning behind Labor Day is more than that.
“A lot of people think it’s a fact. It is not a fact. This has been earned by a lot of people who give up a lot of time and a lot of sacrifice to get the benefits that we have in our working society today, like the eight-hour workday and all the safety and OSHA guidelines that we have. now,” Yates said.
At Carson Park’s Labor Day celebration, there will be family-friendly activities like the Lone Oak Lions Club train and bouncy houses for kids to enjoy. There will also be live music from performers including the Tony Logue Band, Midlife Crisis, Jordan Skoda & the Damwrights and Six String Circus, along with vendors selling food, drinks and snacks in Carson Park.
Yates said back in the day, West Kentucky’s Labor Day celebration used to be a weekend affair. Although the festivities are only scheduled for Labor Day this year, Yates said the committee plans to hold several activities at the Carson Park celebration in hopes that people will come out to celebrate Labor Day and there is interest in extending the Labor Day festivities to be longer. at the weekend in the future.
All parties are free and open to the public, and are funded by donations local unions make to the Labor Day Committee, according to Yates.
There will also be raffle tickets for sale at the celebration in Carson Park, with proceeds benefiting the Labor Day Committee.
