The United States of America will celebrate the federal Labor Day holiday this Monday, Sept. 1. President Grover Cleveland first established it as an official holiday in 1894 to recognize the contributions of workers.

Local residents will mark the holiday with backyard barbecues and other events as Labor Day has come to signal the unofficial end of the summer – although officially there are a few weeks left until autumn.

Labor Day also means that most students have begun the school year and the kickoff of the college football season. The National Football League will open its season next Thursday (Sept. 4).

So let us salute all the workers who have contributed so much to our great nation and set a solid foundation for its future prosperity.