Happy Labor Day Parade Red Granite Wisconsin 1908

Sep 03

Happy Labor Day with some Labor Day History

Happy Labor Day! Labor Day, observed the first Monday in September, is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.

Many Americans celebrate Labor Day with parades, picnics and parties – festivities very similar to those outlined by the first proposal for a holiday, which suggested that the day should be observed with – a street parade to exhibit “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day.

Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known and the labor movement has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.

Unofficial end of summer

Labor Day is called the “unofficial end of summer” because it marks the end of the cultural summer season. Many take their two-week vacations during the two weeks ending Labor Day weekend. Many fall activities, such as school and sports, begin about this time.

In the United States, many school districts resume classes around the Labor Day holiday weekend. Some begin the week before, making Labor Day weekend the first three-day weekend of the school calendar, while others return the Tuesday following Labor Day. Many districts across the Midwest are opting to begin school after Labor Day.

In the U.S. state of Virginia, the amusement park industry has successfully lobbied for legislation requiring most school districts in the state to have their first day of school after Labor Day, in order to give families another weekend to visit amusement parks in the state. The relevant statute has been nicknamed the “Kings Dominion law” after one such park. This law was repealed in 2019.

In the U.S. state of Minnesota, the State Fair ends on Labor Day. Under state law, public schools normally do not begin until after the holiday. One reason given for this timing was to allow time for schoolchildren to show 4-H projects at the Fair.

In U.S. sports, Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of many fall sports. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams usually play their first games that weekend, and the National Football League (NFL) traditionally plays their kickoff game the Thursday following Labor Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race has been held on Labor Day weekend at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina from 1950 to 2003 and since 2015. At Indianapolis Raceway Park, the National Hot Rod Association holds their finals of the NHRA U.S. Nationals drag race that weekend. Labor Day is the middle point between weeks one and two of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships held in Flushing Meadows, New York.

In fashion, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day when it is acceptable to wear white or seersucker.

There are numerous events and activities organized in major cities. For example, New York offers the Labor Day Carnival and fireworks over Coney Island. In Washington, one popular event is the Labor Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol featuring the National Symphony Orchestra with free attendance.

Labor Day sales

To take advantage of large numbers of potential customers with time to shop, Labor Day has become an important weekend for discounts and allowances by many retailers in the United States, especially for back-to-school sales. Some retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the year, second only to the Christmas season’s Black Friday.

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Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day to you and yours. We hope you enjoy the celebration. The text and images above are open source, from sites including Wikimedia, Wikipedia, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

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Hand Sparkler Firework Flag Holding Illustration

Jul 01

Independence Day Fireworks courtesy of Patrick Henry

By Jerry | Blog

Independence Day fireworks are a staple of our 4th of July celebrations.

The real *fireworks* started with the founders of our country, the ‘radicals’ of the 1770s American Revolution. Patrick Henry was among the most radical. Henry did *not* approve of the United States Constitution, because he found it too restrictive. That view led to the addition of the Bill of Rights.

From Apple Podcasts: In honor of Independence Day, Mike Rowe chews up the scenery with a recitation of what may be the most important speech ever delivered, by Patrick Henry, the man historians call “The Forgotten Founder.”

Many of you may know Mike Rowe as the host of Dirty Jobs. I was surprised to learn more about him.

Michael Gregory Rowe is an American television host, narrator, and former opera singer. He is known for his work on the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs and the series Somebody’s Gotta Do It originally developed for CNN. Wikipedia

The podcast episode above is episode 162 of The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe. Rowe possesses a great voice and a knack for narration. He reminds one of the late, great Paul Harvey.

Fireworks are a great way to celebrate the ‘fireworks’ of speeches like the one Patrick Henry gave, narrated in the podcast we’re sharing. His speech, given ad hoc, ended in one of the most well-known phrases in American history, just seven words: Give me liberty or give me death.

We wish everyone a happy, healthy, fine Independence Day weekend, and hope you and yours get to enjoy some extra-fine Independence Day fireworks.

p.s.: Learn about Mike Rowe’s mikeroweWORKS Foundation at https://www.mikeroweworks.org/about/

Thanks to Mark Mullarky of Great Lakes Tech Services for the 4th of July post suggestion, and to Gerard I. “Jerry” Schritz of Intelegist, LLC, for turning me on to ‘Dirty Jobs’ a while back.

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They shared it with us, so we could share it with you.

May 27

Memorial Day 2021 – Please Remember & Honor

By Jerry | Blog

picture of headstone with American flag embellished with "Merci" on the flag to illustrate Memorial Day 2021 blog post Happy Memorial Day 2021.

A reminder – Memorial Day honors those who died while serving in our military. Veteran’s Day honors all veterans. Armed Forces Day honors those presently serving.

Our family will garden and barbecue on Memorial Day Weekend. Our son wants to try a garden of his own this year. We give thanks that my father (an infantry scout) made it through WWII alive…and that’s why we are here. My father honored many, too many, of his army friends on Memorial Day.

Waukesha has an event at Frame Park: Memorial Day Observations | Waukesha, WI (waukesha-wi.gov) featuring the Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC.

If you’re busy enjoying the holiday and can’t make one of these events, that’s ok. It’s ok to have fun! Those we honor on Memorial Day gave their lives serving America and defending our freedoms and way of life. Spending time with friends and family on a beautiful Spring day is part of that. Just take some time on Monday to think of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and maybe lift a glass in their honor.

Have a great Memorial Day 2021 weekend!

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Thank you…

Thanks to Mark Mullarky of www.GreatLakesTS.com for his original post of this heartfelt observation for Memorial Day 2021. Mark plans to spend Saturday and Sunday at Great Lakes Dragaway with the Nostalgia Super Stock club. He is a car-less member. If you’re curious what it’s about, visit NostalgiaSuperStock.com. On Monday, Mark and his wife, Anne, will be at their local American Legion’s Memorial Day service to pay their respects. They are proud parents of an active duty service member. It is worth noting that Mark and Anne have always taken time to honor and remember service members, even well before their son entered the military. We join Mark and Anne in encouraging everyone to attend one of these observances in their community – his Legion does a great job. Search for a local event by you, perhaps adding your community to the search, for an extra-fine Memorial Day 2021.

2021 picture with happy new year caption for happy new year 2021 blog post

Dec 31

Happy New Year 2021! Great to put 2020 in hindsight!

By Jerry | Blog

Happy New Year 2021, everyone!

The expression “we all have 2020 hindsight” is a favorite since childhood. Now it’s great to say “we all have 2020 in hindsight.”

To paraphrase our friend Paul Haut, at W. Haut Specialty Co., between the virus pandemic, the election, the fires out west, the droughts and flooding elsewhere, the racial turmoil and civil unrest, the economy… It is, indeed, good to have 2020 in hindsight.

This is a time for reflections on the year passing, and good wishes and goal-setting for the New Year approaching.

Thankfully, technology kept many of us in contact even when human contact wasn’t possible. Many businesses pivoted, in some cases leaping forward a decade or two in a single year. Looking further for silver linings, we got to hear and see a bit of life without so much traffic and general busyness.

Personally, I was gratified by the conduct of my family during times of crisis and strain. Professionally, it was gratifying to be able to help so many via internet technology that helps us maintain contact when human contact was constrained.

Now’s a great time to reassess what is important to us. We tend to take things for granted when we’re all healthy in the status quo. When the norms shift seismically, as they did in 2020, it’s a good time to take stock and to plan the lives we want.

Reading has always been one of my mainstays, personally and professionally. My personal annual goal of reading/listening to 50 books a year was easily attained in 2020. I read for knowledge and understanding. I believe we could all use more knowledge, and more understanding. I’ve found myself stocking up on books to last a lifetime in the last couple of months – thousands of them. Now I hope to write more of what I learn to share knowledge and understanding I’ve gained with others.

Goals are great when they’re common goals. I will do my best to establish goals with the people I work with and the people we serve, as well as with friends and family – all of whom we hope to see much more often, in person and virtually, in 2021.

We thank everyone who made 2020 bearable, even enjoyable. We extend our best wishes for a Happy New Year, too.

Tomorrow is the first page of a blank 365-page book. Write a good one! Happy New Year 2021!

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Please feel free to contact us anytime.

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Thanks to our friend and vendor Keith Klein of OnYourMark, LLC for sharing this post with us, so we could share it with you.

Dec 18

Merry Christmas 2020

By Jerry | Blog

Merry Christmas 2020

Dear Friends,

It’s December, and the end of the year cannot come soon enough. 2020 definitely has been a year that we won’t forget. The pandemic, the election, the stock market, social unrest, all in one year. Masks… I am tired of wearing a mask. My blood pressure is getting higher just by talking about it. Yet it’s Christmas, a season of celebration, time to think about the birth of our Savior and King. Our world may seem to be falling apart, but be assured that because of the love of our God, and the birth of His Son Jesus, through faith, things will be alright. Psalm 46: says to “Be still and know that I am God.” In other words, Relax, God is in control. One way or another He has promised to take care of us.

Merry Christmas 2020 Our Christmas wishes we send to you.
To our friends we thank you for your friendship; to our customers, we thank you for your business; and to our vendors we thank you for your support and knowledge. We value our relationships with all, and pray for peace, prosperity, and harmony in the upcoming year.

Sincerely,

Merry Christmas 2020 from all of us at Intelegist, LLC

Gerard I. “Jerry” Schritz

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Please feel free to contact us anytime.

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Thanks to our friends, Paul and Michael Haut of W. Haut Specialty Company for posting this originally, and sharing it with us – to share with you.

Nov 26

Happy Thanksgiving 2020 – expressing our gratitude

By Jerry | Blog

Happy Thanksgiving 2020…tough times to gather together, and to go about the holidays as usual. Yet we shouldn’t let tough times stop us from expressing our gratitude and prayers for the blessings we have – our gratitude and prayers for this Happy Thanksgiving 2020 – a difficult year to say the least.

We’re thankful for this “interwebs” thing, and for smartphones and other technology that helps us keep in touch with family and friends. We’re thankful for much, including those in our household and workplace who we still get to see. Even if sometimes only remotely.

Whether you’re a country music fan or not, here’s a great expression of gratitude from an an all-time favorite performer, a country – and gospel – music legend: Mr. Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash “Thanksgiving Prayer”

117,343 views • Nov 23, 2016

Johnny Cash performed “Thanksgiving Prayer” on the CBS TV show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman starring Jane Seymour. The episode aired on November 19, 1994. Thanksgiving Prayer” was written by the show’s producer, Josef Anderson.

Check out the comments at this YouTube post and you’ll see a refreshing set of simple thanks and blessings counted.

This is one of a YouTube collection by Bob Berry. His YouTube channel is here.

Happy Thanksgiving 2020 to you and yours.

Thank you for viewing – and may you and yours experience the blessings of – and gratitude for – a Happy Thanksgiving.

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p.s.: We say “thank you” to our friend and vendor, Keith Klein, of OnYourMark, LLC, for writing this post and sharing it with us, so we may share it with you! To you and yours, we with you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov 11

Happy Veterans Day!

By Jerry | Blog

For those who’ve served, “Happy Veterans Day!”

Some vets bristle a bit when people thank them for their service on
Memorial Day, because that’s not what the day is for.
However, that’s exactly what Veterans Day is for.

From the US Department of Defense:

“Veterans Day is NOT the Same as Memorial Day.

A lot of Americans get this confused, and we’ll be honest — it can be a little annoying to all of the living veterans out there. Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives for our country, particularly in battle or from wounds they suffered in battle. Veterans Day honors all of those who have served the country in war or peace — dead or alive — although it’s largely intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices.”

So when you see a vet, be sure to say thank you, or welcome home.

I’ve written about the history of Veterans Day before, so how about something fun? Take a quiz about Veterans Day here: https://www.defense.gov/Engage/Quiz/Article/1988530/test-your-veterans-day-knowledge/

Unlike Facebook quizzes, it’s NOT full of click-bait.

Happy Veterans Day to all the vets out there – and thank you!

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Please feel free to contact us anytime.

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Thanks to our friend and vendor, Mark Mullarky of Mullarky Business Systems for posting this originally, and sharing it with us – to share with you.

Sep 05

Happy Labor Day Weekend 2020

By Jerry | Blog

Here’s how Labor Day Weekend 2020 came to be:

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.^[1]^[2]^[3] It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend.

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. “Labor Day” was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. In 1887, Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the United States officially celebrated Labor Day.^[4]

Canada’s Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September.

Labor Day info from Wikipedia

First United States Labor Day Parade, September 5, 1882 in New York City.jpg

Thanks to Wikipedia, “The Free Encyclopedia”, for this information for our post on Labor Day Weekend 2020 – text above from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

Happy Labor Day Weekend 2020

This holiday is especially significant this year as we thank and salute essential workers. We thank the first-responders, the store clerks, the deliver drivers, health care workers, teachers and more who do everything they can, everyday, to make all our lives just a little bit better.

We thank our employees, our suppliers, our customers – the countless numbers who make all of our labors worthwhile. We wish all of you, and your families, friends and associates the finest Labor Day Weekend 2020! May this day in 2021 be brighter.

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Thanks for our friend and vendor Keith Klein of OnYourMark, LLC for sharing this post with us, so we could share it with you.

Image of 1776 book cover, courtesy of Amazon

Jul 03

1776 – A Revolutionary Year, A Good Book

By Dean Hall | Blog

Thanks to many in 1776, Happy Independence Day!

We wouldn’t be in a position to extend “Happy Independence Day” wishes without the revolutionary efforts of many in 1776. It was a revolutionary year, and it is a good book.

cover illustration of 1776 by David McCullough

Pulitzer Prize Winner David McCullough penned another novel-like history, 1776.

Written by David McCullough, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the book reads like a novel. We can all recite a few sentences, maybe a few paragraphs, about the year, and about the main character, the first among equals, George Washington. Reading this book immerses you in the times, the circumstances; the long odds and the weight of the outcomes.

The following taken from the Audible page where the audio-book version of 1776 is offered. The cover image is from the Amazon page where the book is offered.

Publisher’s Summary

In this stirring audiobook, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence, when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats, who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known. But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost: Washington, who had never before led an army in battle.

The darkest hours of that tumultuous year were as dark as any Americans have known. Especially in our own tumultuous time, 1776 is powerful testimony to how much is owed to a rare few in that brave founding epoch, and what a miracle it was that things turned out as they did.

Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough’s 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.

1776 Critic Reviews

2005 Audie Award Nominee, Narration by the Author
2005 Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award, Nonfiction

“A first-rate historical account.” (Booklist)

“A narrative tour de force, exhibiting all the hallmarks the author is known for: fascinating subject matter, expert research, and detailed, graceful prose…. Simply put, this is history writing at its best from one of its top practitioners.” (Publishers Weekly)

“A stirring and timely work, reminding us that it’s soldiers rather than ‘tavern patriots and windy politicians’ who have always paid the price of American idealism and determined its successes. (The New York Times)

Happy Independence Day!

We wish all our clients, customers, associates, vendors, neighbors, friends and family a happy, healthy, safe Independence Day weekend. We encourage gratitude for the sacrifices of many, and hope for the future of all.

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Thanks to our friend and vendor, Keith Klein of OnYourMark, LLC, for drafting this post and sharing it with us, so we could share it with you.

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May 25

Memorial Day 2020

By keith | Blog

This Memorial Day 2020 weekend, the traditional kickoff to summer, will be different than we’re used to. Whatever your tradition is, it’s likely impacted somehow by the COVID19 crisis.

This, from NPR.org: memorial day 2020 picture of tombstone with orchids and flag

U.S. government buildings, military posts and embassies will fly the flag at half-staff through Memorial Day weekend in memory of the nearly 100,000 people who have died of COVID-19, President Trump announced Thursday night. The decision comes after Democratic leaders in Congress sent a letter to the president requesting the gesture.

“I will be lowering the flags on all Federal Buildings and National Monuments to half-staff over the next three days in memory of the Americans we have lost to the CoronaVirus,” Trump said via Twitter.

Flags will be lowered from Friday through Sunday’s sunset. Trump added that flags will again be flown at half-staff on Monday to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

The national flag is dropped to half its normal height at times when the nation is in mourning or after a national tragedy. The U.S. is currently in the throes of a pandemic that has killed about 95,000 people in the country and derailed normal life for millions of people.

Wherever you find yourself on Monday, Memorial Day 2020, please take a moment to remember and honor those who died while serving our country.

Be safe, and be healthy.

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Thanks to Mark Mullarky of www.MBSWI.com for his original post of this observation for Memorial Day 2020

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