Monday Mail: Take a Labor Day walk in the woods

You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorn, for it is Monday Mail.

Labor

Our opening is from William Jennings Bryan's speech to the 1896 Democratic Convention.

Labor Day

Some have said this was a long summer because Memorial Day came early and Labor Day came late.

True, but some of us still mark seasons by the Earth's revolution around the sun, so our summer does not end until the autumn equinox at 4:22 a.m. EDT Sept. 23.

Labor Day Fair

When I was growing up in Seale, Ala., the thing to do for Labor Day was hang out all night at the old courthouse while volunteers grilled split pigs, then come back to hang out all day at the fair. The fair goes on, as Heather Tharpe notes here:

Hi!

The Old Seale Russell County Courthouse will be having our annual Labor Day Fair.... This event started in 1975 and was an annual event up until 1999 and we brought it back in 2010. The Old Russell County Courthouse Commission is a nonprofit organization in charge of maintaining the courthouse, which is third oldest courthouse in the state of Alabama.

We are excited about the Labor Day Fair this year . There will be an assortment of food to choose from such as fried gator, funnel cakes, fried Oreos, barbecue, Polish sausage, and much more....

Dear Heather:

I still think y'all should consider adding a fireworks show. The volunteer fire department could be on hand to put out any resulting brush fires.

Into the woods

Also, this marks the day the backpacking movie "A Walk in the Woods" comes out. Having backpacked, I know it's a fine activity that teaches you self-reliance. I'm never going back to it, because I'm not hauling all that weight up a mountain again, but you should. Here's an email about that:

With the movie ("A Walk In The Woods") coming out on Labor Day, is anyone thinking about writing an article about the Appalachian Trail?

My 18-year-old son and I (aged 57 at the time) hiked it together in 2013.

We are also in contact with a lot of local hikers.

Mark Graydon.

P.S. Columbus is in a prime position to be a Trail Hub for six trails (Riverwalk, Phenix City Riverwalk, Fall Line Trace, Trail of Tears, Bartram Trail, and Wilson's 1865 Raid Trail). I cannot find anyone in city government or Parks and Recreation to pick up the torch on this .

Dear Mark:

We have an 1865 Wilson's Raid Trail? Can I ride my horse on that and conquer cities as I go along?

Tim Chitwood, tchitwood@ledger-enquirer.com, 706-571-8508.

This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 10:04 PM with the headline "Monday Mail: Take a Labor Day walk in the woods ."