The celebration will begin with a Carnival to be held in Veteran’s Park at the corner of Hwy. 33 & Cloquet Ave. in Cloquet starting Friday, Aug. 31, and running daily through Labor Day. The carnival will be open from 6 p.m. to about 11 p.m. on 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:

• Friday, Aug. 31 -- 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 1 -- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 1 -- 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 2 -- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 2 -- 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

On Saturday and Sunday, a Softball Tournament will be held at Pinehurst Field in Cloquet. The tournament will begin at about 8 a.m. each day and will continue throughout the day. A new feature this year, on Saturday night a Home Run Derby will be held at Pinehurst Field. For more information call Dennis Painter at 218-310-0347.

Sunday will feature the traditional fireworks display to be held at Veteran’s Park in Cloquet beginning at 9 p.m. Note: the fireworks are on Sunday night, not Monday as in years past when the fireworks were held on Labor Day evening. In case of rain or fog, the fireworks display will be held at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3.

The Celebration continues on Labor Day starting at 11 a.m. with the annual Labor Day Parade, sponsored by the Cloquet Firefighters. This parade is one of the oldest continually held Labor Day Parades in the nation. The parade 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 be enjoyed by adults and children alike and 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.

Back for a second year, the Labor Day Classic Car Show is expected to feature more than 50 classic cars and trucks. The car show will be held on next to the Labor Temple building on Ave. C between 12th & 14th Streets. The show will begin immediately following the parade on Monday and will conclude at about 3 p.m. with the awarding of prizes. For more information call Mike Tillman at 218-727-7797.

The festivities will wrap up on Monday with a picnic lunch to be held immediately following the parade in the upstairs hall of the Cloquet Labor Temple. As always, this well-attended lunch is free and open to the public.

The traditional Retiree Banquet that in past years was held on the Sunday afternoon prior to Labor Day will not take place again this year. The committee realizes that the banquet has been a part of the celebration for many years, but it was determined to be unfeasible to hold the banquet again this year. The committee will continue to evaluate this decision in the future.

Labor Day buttons will be available at many of the events for the cost of only $1. Button sales help in defraying the cost of the many events, so please help by buying a button!

The Labor Day Committee would like to acknowledge and thank the many area businesses and organizations for their generous monetary and gift contributions to the celebration, especially fundraiser Mike Berthiaume.

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.