The Carlton County Central Labor Body announced its 85th Annual Cloquet Labor Day Celebration, which begins Thursday, Sept. 2, and runs through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6.

The celebration begins with a Carnival to be held in Veteran?s Park in Cloquet beginning Thursday, Sept. 2, and runs daily through Labor Day. The carnival will be open from 4 p.m. to about 11 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from noon to about 11 p.m. Saturday through Monday.

The carnival will again feature a midway produced by Rogers Brothers Funland Shows. As in past years, there will be a number of wristband timeblocks during which carnival goers can ride unlimited rides during the time for which the wristband is purchased. Tickets for wristbands will be on sale at the gate for $15.

Wristbands will be able to be used for one time only during one of the following timeblocks:

Thursday, Sept. 2nd -- 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 3rd -- 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 4th -- 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 4th -- 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, Sept.5th -- 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 5th -- 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Again this year there will be a Horseshoe Tournament held in Wright, Minn., in the City Park on Saturday, Sept. 4. This tournament will again feature a division for non-league throwers as well as a division for league throwers. This is done to enable the casual horseshoe thrower to be able to participate and win prizes without having to compete against the possibly higher skilled league throwers.

There will be prizes and trophies for the top four place finishers for both singles and doubles events and for both league and non-league divisions. The entry fee for each event is $5.00 per person for the league division throwers and is free for non-league division throwers and the tournament will be a round robin competition. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. with the singles competition starting at 9:30 a.m. and doubles starting at 1:00 p.m. Those entering the doubles competition will draw for partners.

Entry for all events is open to anyone. Refreshments will be available for purchase at the event. For more information regarding the Horseshoe Tournament call Bill Nelson in Tamarack, MN at 218-768-4285 or Mike Berthiaume in Cloquet at 218-879-7036.

On Saturday, Sept. 4, and Sunday, Sept. 5, there will be a Softball Tournament held at Pinehurst Park in Cloquet. The tournament will begin at 8:00 a.m. each day and runs throughout the day. Concessions will be available at the park. For more information call Steve Martin at 218-879-3094.

Sunday, Sept. 5, brings the traditional Retiree Banquet (formerly known as the Old Timer?s Banquet) beginning at 11 a.m. in the upstairs hall of the Cloquet Labor Temple located at 1403 Avenue C. This banquet features a free dinner for any retired area resident. A minor change to this year?s dinner is that attendees need not have lived in the area for at least 50 years. Any retired area resident is welcome to attend. Music prior to the dinner will be provided by Jerry Haller. After dinner a drawing will be held for a number of door prizes, and the oldest man, oldest woman, and longest married couple will be recognized. As always, seating is limited to the capacity of the hall.

Also on Sunday, Sept. 5, there will be a Fireworks display held at Veteran?s Park in Cloquet beginning at 9 p.m. As a reminder to people, the fireworks are on Sunday night, not Monday as in years past when fireworks were held on Labor Day evening. In case of rain or fog, the fireworks display will be held at 9 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6.

The Celebration continues on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6, starting at 11 a.m. with the annual Labor Day Parade. The parade route again this year will follow the usual Cloquet Avenue parade route, starting at 18th Street and Cloquet Avenue and ending at 8th Street and Cloquet Avenue. As always, the parade will feature marching bands, floats, and many community and area organizations. To enter a unit in the parade or for more information, call the Cloquet Fire Hall at 218-879-6514.

The festivities conclude on Monday, Sept. 6, with a free picnic lunch to be held immediately following the parade in the upstairs hall of the Cloquet Labor Temple. As always, this lunch is free and open to the public.

Labor Day buttons will be available at many of the events for the cost of only $1.00. Button sales help in defraying the cost of the many events, so please help by buying a button!

For more information about the celebration or its events, call Carlton County Central Labor Body President and Chair of the Labor Day Celebration Bob Oswold at 218-879-9242, or Labor Day Celebration Publicity Chair Tom Beltt at 218-879-7148.