Backyards and parks around Rowan County will be hosting family and friends for cookouts during the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

The holiday started as a celebration of labor unions but has evolved to celebrate the labor force of America in general. Rowan County is home to a diverse group of people, all engaged in a diversity of work.

“I think in the late 1800s it focused more on prosperity, but now I and the staff focus on it more in terms of service and making sure our citizens are cared for,” said Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander.

Alexander also noted that she wanted to commend the entirety of the staff of Salisbury and their roles in serving the city’s community and keeping it safe. She pointed to the Salisbury Police Department and Fire Department as keeping the city safe, but she also noted that the city would also not be safe without the crews that pick up trash, clean the streets and clean up debris from storms. Outside of safety, Alexander made sure to highlight every department in the city’s government and their role in keeping Salisbury’s community happy.

“Communities can’t operate, thrive and meet the obligations it has to its citizens without a strong business community. And since quality jobs require a quality workforce, it makes sense that our county’s workforce is one of our greatest economic assets,” said Greg Edds, chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners.

Edds acknowledged and honored the accomplishments of all of the work force of Rowan County as well.

“Each of you are considered essential in Rowan County and we value the significant contributions that you make every day to our community and to your families,” said Edds.

Labor Day has been celebrated in the United States since the 19th century. The story of how the holiday started, however, is shrouded in a little bit of mystery.

There are two stories about how the holiday started. The one accepted by the United States Department of Labor is that the holiday came about as the result of a Knights of Labor meeting in New York City in September of 1882. In conjunction with this meeting Matthew Maguire and the Central Labor Union held a public parade on Sept. 5 to honor the various labor organizations promoting workers’ rights at the time.

Peter McGuire, vice-president of the American Federation of Labor, is credited by some after going to Toronto in May of 1882 and seeing labor parades held there for the same reason. McGuire set the September date as the perfect day for a holiday because of the weather and the fact that it was situated perfectly in between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving.

The holiday remained an event celebrated mainly by labor unions for a few years after the first parade, however it came about. Oregon became the first state to officially recognize Labor Day in 1887. In 1894, the federal government passed a bill recognizing the first Monday in September as a federal holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law on July 28, eight days after the end of the Pullman Strike, a strike which saw around 250,000 railroad workers refuse to work until Cleveland ordered the U.S. Army to stop the workers from obstructing the trains, resulting in violence across many cities.

Since then, the holiday has grown into the event Americans know today. There are massive Labor Day sales in stores across the country, families host cookouts and parades are held in some cities. At its core, however, the day is still a celebration of the American worker.

Because of the federal holiday local government offices, including Salisbury’s, Rowan County’s and Kannapolis’, as well as all of the schools in the county including private schools will be closed. The post office will be closed and mail and packages will not be delivered on Monday. All of the public libraries in the county will be closed.

Not everyone has the day off of work, however. Emergency services, including the police, fire department, and hospital, will all continue operations. Many stores will also be open. However, stores may have their hours affected by the holiday so prospective customers should still call first.