With 1980s tunes blaring and two dancers who looked like Hall and Oates but rocked more like Van Halen and Bon Jovi gyrating on a Skunk Train float, the Paul Bunyan Days parade celebrated its 80s theme on a perfect sunny day to crowds that packed the curbs on Main Street and Franklin Street. The parade itself moved much slower than usual, with large gaps between floats. As usual, the parade started with a convoy of firetrucks and ended with the traditional wacky performance by the Cal Poly Humboldt Marching lumberjacks.
In between, local Latino groups had bigger performances than in recent years, with Vaqueros showing off traditional horsemanship and riding and rope tricks. A float from Fiesta Latina Fort Bragg’s Paul Bunyan Days Labor Day parade once again provided the traditional end to summer, but this time also launched the political season.
All five Fort Bragg City Council candidates made showings in the parade. Most dramatic was Scott Hockett and Ryan Bushnell boosters appearing together on floats. The signs of the two first-time candidates were carried side by side on a logging truck carrying large logs selected for the parade. Their signs outnumbered all others and were also carried by a large and energetic group from Fort Bragg Forever, the organization that grew out of opposition to the Charge Our Name Fort Bragg group.
Although neither the city council nor the school board are currently considering any name change proposals, the organizations have both been very active this summer.
Conservative and Republican floats outnumbered liberal and Democratic floats. There seemed to be nobody celebrating Labor Day but there was one Kamala Harris/Tim Walz entry.
Lindy Peters, 71, a former mayor and the longest-serving council member is the only incumbent in the race for two seats to be decided on Nov. 5. Mayor Bernie Norvell will be moving onto the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, meaning the town will have a new mayor after the elections. The Council picks the mayor from among its own members.
Melissa, “Mel” Salazaar, 32, is a diversity program manager.
Ryan Bushnell, 38, a local equipment operator and former volunteer firefighter got involved when name change was suggested, joining a commission to discuss the issue. He opposed changing the name of the town. Commercial fisherman Hockett, 43, is a Noyo Harbor business owner and leader in Noyo Harbor fishing organizations. Brewer, 44, grew up in Fort Bragg, going to local schools at roughly the same time as Hockett and Bushnell. She has had a variety of roles in the community as a volunteer and worker, currently working in a program in the local schools funded through the Fort Bragg Police Department.
Paul Bunyan Days had perfect weather in 2024 and pulled off a huge list of events. The Classic Car Show was canceled. The fire department hose fights, an event that dates from the first Paul Bunyan Days on Labor Day Weekend in 1939, had more participants and a huge mob of kids to watch. The Skunk Train and Model Train museum were packed for the weekend with the train offering steam train rides and other events. The parade featured cheerleaders, youth football players, Keystone Kops, and the Shriners clowning in tiny cars. Other winning floats included one from Rossi’s Hardware which one first place, a Flockworks float and one from Noyo Food Forest.
What happened to Labor Day? Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. It is very disappointing when parades forget this day and politics takes over.
Every year the White House issues a proclamation and this year is no Different.
A Proclamation on Labor Day, 2024
” Every year on Labor Day, we celebrate the dignity of America’s workers and the labor unions they have built. I often say that Wall Street did not build America — the middle class built America, and unions built the middle class. Labor unions have done so much for our Nation — giving workers a voice at the workplace, raising standards on the job, and fighting for better benefits and wages for us all. Today, we honor the pioneers who fought for the rights of working people, pay tribute to the dedication of our American workforce, and honor the enduring movement that powers our economy and strengthens our Nation.”
read more at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/08/30/a-proclamation-on-labor-day-2024/
? this Community in Fort Bragg, California!