Being from the politically progressive San Francisco Bay Area, I had never attended a Labor Day Parade that wasn’t highly political, and with an international focus. The one here in Rapid City  today had the whole town out, the kids catching thrown candy, the adults enjoying the drum corps.

Only Labor organizations were represented: Sheet Metal and IronWorkers, Labor Unions, and Apprenticeship Programs for a variety of Trades. We forget how much of our nation’s infrastructure relied on the skills of workers to build them. When their aren’t enough skilled workers maintaining bridges, dams, and municipal utilities, we are the ones that suffer. Let’s salute the folks in the Trades, that keep our toilets flushing, our air conditioners pumping, and our lights on. Happy Labor Day everybody!