The end of summer seems to get tied in with Labor Day weekend.

Even though the technical day for fall doesn’t officially arrive on the calendar for several weeks, it does feel as if the season has bid us farewell for 2009. We are now left wondering where those lazy days of summer could have gone.

The children are back in school, family vacations are now on hold until Christmas or spring break, football season is upon us, and Mother Nature has taken charge of those crisp evenings we are now experiencing.

Labor Day has been celebrated in the United States for more than 100 years, honoring the workers and laborers who support themselves and their families. There is a host of information that can be found on the history of Labor Day that some may not be familiar with and how it all came about. Information goes beyond the first parade of 10,000 workers in America in 1882 until Congress legalized the holiday 12 years later. Such circumstances date back to President Grover Cleveland.

Although Labor Day is meant as a celebration of the labor movement and its achievements, it has also come to be celebrated as the last, long-summer weekend before autumn.

Some events going on in our area include the fourth annual Labor Day Festival from 1 to 8 p.m. Monday in the Galveston Town Park in Galveston. A free hog roast with all the trimmings will be served late afternoon. Free tickets are available at local merchants in Galveston, Walton and Young America. Bands will perform from 1 to 7 p.m. and there will be many activities for children and families.

And Indiana Beach has geared up for Oktoberfest, which is its final weekend. The park’s annual fall festival and celebration of German food and culture will close out the season at 8 p.m. on Monday. The Skyroom restaurant is being transformed into a German Festhaus with German fare and oompa bands, and a grape stomping contest is planned at the Boardwalk.

Today, the weekend festivities at Indiana Beach include Dollar Ride Night where all rides are $1 per ride per person from 6 to 10 p.m. The evening will be topped off with a fireworks display at 9:45 p.m.

We are now left trying to squeeze out these last few days of outdoor fun and taking one last stab at summer. As long as the weather cooperates, families can still strive for another picnic, one more ride on the roller coasters at Indiana Beach, or even conjure up a bonfire to sit around roasting marshmallows as we adjust to these chilly nights. Autumn will be welcomed next blessing us with its colorful beauty and easing us into what is next.

• Lori Kitchel is community news editor at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at (574) 732-5130 or via e-mail at lori.kitchel@pharostribune.com.