Labor Day

You bookworms out there might want to stock up on reads for the three-day weekend. Our three Costa Mesa libraries will be closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday. The Mesa Verde Library, 2969 Mesa Verde Drive East, will offer these child-centered activities during the next two weeks: "READ OC" Family Reading Time at 6:30 p.m. Thursday; and "Lego Wednesday" from 2 to 3 p.m. Sept. 14. Call (714) 546-5274 for more information. The Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library, 1855 Park Ave., will hold a Family Storytime at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

About 90,000 people visited the beaches in Newport on Labor Day, taking in the warm weather and a cooling breeze. "Everyone's taking one last shot at the beach before going back to school," said Jim Turner, lifeguard battalion chief for the Newport Beach Fire Department. "It was a quiet morning but the crowds have just kept coming, same as yesterday," Turner said. Lifeguards rescued six people by Monday afternoon. Police authorities breathed a sigh of relief with no major incidents in Costa Mesa and Newport reported on Labor Day. Costa Mesa police officers made 15 arrests, for drunk driving, disorderly conduct and possession of a controlled substance, on Sunday.

Noaki Schwartz BALBOA PENINSULA -- Despite fears of contaminated ooze floating down to Newport from Huntington Beach, the Labor Day weekend waters appear crystal clear, authorities said. "The south swell has pushed the water and surf up the coast [toward Huntington]," said Jim Turner at lifeguard headquarters. And while the currents could change, he said, it would not happen as quickly as this weekend. Better yet, it appears that Huntington Beach is beginning to clear up. The County Health Care Agency tested waters earlier this week and found a significant drop in bacteria levels.

While local police officers and firefighters remained on duty Monday, many said the unexpected cool weather offered them a brief respite and a chance to enjoy the Labor Day holiday while in uniform. “Actually it wasn’t too bad for a holiday weekend,” said Newport Beach Sgt. Jeff Brouwer. “The weather kind of slowed things down for us a little.” Both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach authorities Monday said it was a routine weekend, as far as holidays go, with no major incidents to report.

Volunteers are needed to assist in the Muscular Dystrophy Assn.'s 2007 Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, which will air live on KCAL Channel 9 from 6 p.m. Sept. 2 through 6 p.m. Sept. 3. Mailroom volunteers and positions taking pledges and answering phones on live TV are needed. Volunteers to answer phones must be at least 18 years old. Prerequisites include a friendly personality and a desire to help. The Muscular Dystrophy Assn. is a voluntary health agency working to defeat 43 neuromuscular diseases through worldwide research, services and professional and public health education.

Labor Day weekend is here again. And though it was originally taken as a serious celebration, today it has come to symbolize the end of summer and the final fling before school starts. The first September Labor Day event took place in New York in 1882, when the Knights of Labor staged a parade of 30,000 in honor of the working man. The competing International Workingmen's Assn. held their labor celebrations on the first of May. Remember that this was during the Industrial Revolution with child labor, 12-plus hour days, no minimum wage, etc. Anger about the workers' situation was so high that on May 1, 1886, there was a general strike in Chicago calling for an eight-hour workday.

Many of you will not be home this weekend to receive this greeting because you will be taking a short trip for the Labor Day weekend. Nevertheless, happy Labor Day! This is one of the heaviest getaway weekends of the year, and everyone appreciates it. But what is the derivation of this holiday, which is always on the first Monday of September? The holiday originated in Canada in the late 1870s, when labor unions were first successful in establishing a nine-hour work day. By 1882, the festivities spread to the United States, where parades and speeches were held celebrating the contributions of laborers.

With idyllic water and weather conditions forecast for this weekend, local officials anticipate the Labor Day holiday will be a smooth end to summer. Labor Day is typically a calm summer holiday. But that's no reason not to be safe ? officials are once again stressing the regular reminders. At the beach, lifeguards said to put on sunscreen, watch out for rip currents and keep an eye on children. Police advise beachgoers to arrive early to park and remember to lock their car. "Fourth of July is our big weekend, but usually Labor Day and Memorial Day are typical of other summer weekends," Newport Beach Police Sgt. Bill Hartford said.

There are two times a year the city will allow residents to close public streets to hold block parties, and Labor Day, now just around the corner, is one of them. Costa Mesa is accepting street-closure applications for residents who want to celebrate Labor Day with a block party. The deadline for applications is Aug. 21. Each street closure request will be reviewed by the city on the basis of the street, the location of closure on the street and a potential for traffic and safety problems, city officials said.

When I was a little girl, my mother would have us weave ribbons into our strawberry baskets and fill them with flowers. We'd then sneak up to our neighbors' homes, ring the bell and leave our beautiful little bouquets on their doorsteps. We'd squeal with delight as we watched from behind a tree or across the street when they'd open the door and smile at their small gift. This is what May Day was for me. Now, as an adult, I celebrate May Day a little differently. Around the world, the first of May is acknowledged as International Workers' Day. Here in the United States, we celebrate Labor Day in September, but more than 80 countries honor May 1 as a national holiday.

COSTA MESA — Two teen girls injured in a Labor Day car crash have been released from the hospital and are expected to make a full recovery, police said Wednesday. The girls were riding in a four-door BMW driven by a 16-year-old Costa Mesa boy about 3:20 a.m. when he tried to turn north onto Coolidge Avenue from Baker Street but he was going too fast and crashed, said Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Phil Myers. A third teen girl was also in the car at the time, Myers said. All three girls, two 16-year-olds and one 15-year-old, are from Costa Mesa.

You bookworms out there might want to stock up on reads for the three-day weekend. Our three Costa Mesa libraries will be closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday. The Mesa Verde Library, 2969 Mesa Verde Drive East, will offer these child-centered activities during the next two weeks: "READ OC" Family Reading Time at 6:30 p.m. Thursday; and "Lego Wednesday" from 2 to 3 p.m. Sept. 14. Call (714) 546-5274 for more information. The Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library, 1855 Park Ave., will hold a Family Storytime at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

COSTA MESA — Smack in the middle of Labor Day weekend, the Vanguard University women's volleyball team was, perhaps appropriately, hard at work Saturday night. The Lions had to battle back and show a lot of heart after dropping the first two sets to Great Falls of Montana. But that only made the final result that much more exhilarating. Vanguard used a frantic rally to claim a 17-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 15-9 win at The Pit in its last of four matches at the Crown Plaza Labor Day Tournament.

Many of you will not be home this weekend to receive this greeting because you will be taking a short trip for the Labor Day weekend. Nevertheless, happy Labor Day! This is one of the heaviest getaway weekends of the year, and everyone appreciates it. But what is the derivation of this holiday, which is always on the first Monday of September? The holiday originated in Canada in the late 1870s, when labor unions were first successful in establishing a nine-hour work day. By 1882, the festivities spread to the United States, where parades and speeches were held celebrating the contributions of laborers.

Officially it’s still summer through Sept. 22nd, but the season ended for many of us on Labor Day. We had a lot more sunny, overcast free days than usual, the warmest ocean water for sustained periods since the big El Niño of 1997 and some good south swells, including the monster that coincided with the U.S. Open. We also had the ongoing effects of the recession. So how did the summer go for local surf shops? What is their take on the economic situation? I checked in with Paul Burnett and Duke Edukas at Surfside Sports.

Take the day off. I mean tomorrow, not today. And why do we get to laze around all day tomorrow with nothing to do but think happy thoughts? Because, it is Labor Day or, if you’re British, Labour Day. The Brits like to toss in an extra “u” whenever possible — labour, flavour, colour, honour. I’m not sure why. We have studied the origins of Labor Day before, so this will go fast. Aside from being one more excuse for a three-day weekend, and you can never have too many of those, Labor Day started with the labor movement in Canada in the 1870s; it’s an annual celebration of workers and all the worker-type things they do; it became a national holiday here in 1882, with a presidential order calling for celebrations to honor workers and their families and “…the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations.

Ahoy. Labor Day is the weekend that usually signals the end of summer and recreational boating. However, in Southern California, now is the best time to be on the water, because the weather is warm, the sea temperature is in the 70s and the crowds will be thinning. Because our waterways do not ice over, nor do we experience the bitter cold as in other northern waterways, we have the luxury of boating year-round. This weekend, the seas will be less than 3 feet for the west and the winds might kick up to 20 knots in the afternoons, also from the west.

Ruth Cisneros knew she wanted to have a career with opportunity and one that allowed her to help people. Going to medical school was a natural fit. As she walked in her home country of Ecuador to the nearest facility to sign up for medical school, the building was closed. But Cisneros’ hopes were not dashed. Instead, Cisneros made the best of what was provided — that being a dentistry school down the street. Years later, and nearly 10 years since she immigrated to America, Cisneros is making the best of what could have been a bad situation once again.