By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Photo by user: Free-Photos on Pixabay
Labor Day weekend is coming up! I am always stumped what to do to celebrate if I wait until the last minute to plan our celebration, so I did some research and came up with 10 awesome ideas that you, your friends, and your family will have a blast doing. But first, here is some history on why we celebrate this holiday.
What is Labor Day?
This Fill Your Plate article describes Labor Day perfectly: In the United States, Labor Day is a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. This year that is September 7th. It is a celebration of the American labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.
That’s YOU! We are grateful for all workers this Labor Day, for jobs that boost our economy, and jobs that provide for our families. The work force plays an important role in our country, especially through this pandemic and time of economic uncertainty. If you lost your job due to the effects of COVID-19, we want to see you back on your feet as soon as possible. Go to KTAR News website to search their database of job opportunities in Arizona. If your business is hiring, you can also enter information into the database about your open positions to help your fellow workers.
10 Fun Labor Day Activities
- Have a barbeque: This is the perfect time of year for grilling. Try a new recipe from Fill Your Plate for grilled salmon, chicken, steak, or kabobs. For barbeque tips from the Arizona Beef Council, read this Fill Your Plate article.
- Invite friends and family over: It isn’t a party without people to celebrate with! Make sure to limit your party to the number recommended by the CDC guidelines. But a small gathering doesn’t mean you have to limit the fun! All of these activities listed can be done with any number of people.
- Bake treats/make drinks: Labor Day is often the last hoorah for summer. Fall will be here before you know it! Some of my favorite summer treats are warm desserts with ice cream, like brownies, pies, pazookies, and cobblers. I also enjoy non-alcoholic pina coladas, a family friendly option for everyone. A few years ago we discovered this tool on Amazon that removes the fruit out of the pineapple, so you can blend it into a drink and pour it back into your pineapple cup! See the recipe with options for variations here.
- Set up outdoor games: Build a fort, play cornhole, do some outdoor bowling, throw horseshoes, play ladder toss, and more. Make it a competition and give prizes, little plastic trophies filled with candy, or goody bags for the winners and runner-up’s to add to the fun.
- Watch a movie outside: Hang a white sheet on your fence, clothesline, or between two trees, and use a projector connecting to your smartphone or laptop to bring the movie theater magic to your backyard. Search for projectors on Amazon; you can find some for under $50. And what’s a good movie without popcorn, snacks and candy? Try adding junior mints, mini peanut butter cups, or a chocolate drizzle to your popcorn to add variety and get two movie snacks in one.
- Do a fireworks show: Do you have some leftover sparklers and fireworks from the 4th of July? Now is a great time to use them! You can also shop for new ones for your celebration, although they can be harder to find out of season. Have your guests bring blankets to sit on to enjoy the show from the lawn. Don’t forget to follow Arizona’s laws about fireworks, found here.
- Take a nap: You’ve been working hard all year. You deserve some good rest for all you do! Try using a sleeping mask to block out light from windows. Find a quiet spot in your house to take a nap. Consider sending your kids to a family member’s house for a few hours so you can get in some me time.
- Play in the water: Go swimming in your pool, a local pool or a lake. if you don’t have a pool, get a slip and slide, fill up some water balloons, or play in the sprinklers. Younger kids especially love water games like these.
- Take a road trip in Arizona: Get away from the city and drive to Sedona, Flagstaff, Payson, or another town for a mini vacation. Shop for groceries there and have your own barbeque up there! Find a pool in town, or a lake or swimming hole in the national parks close by that you can swim in.
- Make decorations/decorate your house: Make a quick trip to the Dollar Store or the dollar section at Target to find some patriotic decorations and craft supplies. Kids will love helping to make the decorations and hanging them up around the house. Find ideas by searching Pinterest pages such as this one.
Find holiday inspiration for other holidays as well by searching Fill Your Plate’s blog!