Senator John Thune
For many, Labor Day weekend is one of the last chances for summer fun. The end of summer means students will begin heading back to school, the cool fall weather is around the corner, and football games, volleyball matches, marching band competitions, and booster club meetings will soon fill evening and weekend schedules. Every year we are left wondering, how did yet another summer go by so quickly?
Kimberley and I, like many families, always have high hopes for making time to accomplish our list of summer trips and activities. Our daughters like to tease us that it seems to be much easier to make the list than it is to cross off the items. Our time in the summer really does seem to pass too quickly, despite the many hot, dry, 100 degree days that have had a particularly heavy impact on our agriculture producers. While no one would have expected the extreme heat we have had this year following the flooding of 2011, I’m glad the warm summer weather allows us to cross a few activities off the summer list and enjoy long holiday weekends like Labor Day.
This Labor Day weekend, in many communities across South Dakota you will find celebrations marking the end of summer. Some of these events continue the activities we’ve enjoyed all season, such as a round of golf, barbeques, and one last trip to the pool. Other events have come to mark the end of summer and the beginning of the turn to fall. People from across the state will gather to enjoy the talent and fellowship of the LifeLight Music Festival. Many will make their way to Huron for a weekend of food, rides, music, and rodeo at the South Dakota State Fair. Others will celebrate the heritage and culture of our Native American tribes at the 60th annual Cheyenne River Sioux Pow Wow. All of these are traditions that build community, bring together families and friends, and take us outdoors to enjoy some of the last few days of summer.
As your family gathers to celebrate the holiday weekend, Kimberley and I want to wish all South Dakotans a very safe and happy Labor Day, and who knows, maybe we will all get to cross one last thing off our summer list this holiday weekend.