Labor parades on tap; ‘Unions Built This City’ is St. Louis theme

The St. Louis region will have a full slate of Labor Day Parades again this year, mostly on Labor Day, Sept. 1.

The annual St. Louis Labor Council parade will start at 9 a.m. on Labor Day, while the Metro-East will again have all three of its parades, including Granite City and Belleville parades on Labor Day and the Alton parade on Aug. 23.

• St. Louis – The Labor Council parade will again give downtown St. Louis an eyeful of union strength and solidarity with theme “Unions Built This City!”

Participants will line up at 7:30 a.m. at the 15^th and Olive streets.

The parade will begin at 9 and proceed eastward on Olive to Tucker, then southward on Tucker to Market, and then westward on Market to Union Station.

• Alton – Events sponsored by the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor will begin Wednesday, Aug. 20, with the opening of the James Stanley Memorial Charity Labor Day Softball Tournament at Gordon Moore Community Park. All unions are invited to field teams. The fee is $150 a team; a captain’s meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Aug. 13 at the Machinists Center, 161 N. Shamrock, East Alton.

The Alton/Wood River Union Parade, starting at 10 a.m. on that Saturday, Aug. 23, with assembly at 8 a.m. at the Alton High School Pit Area.

The parade will be followed by a picnic at Gordon Moore Community Park offering music, children’s games, food and balloon art. Participating unions may obtain wrist bands for those attending the picnic for $1 each through the Federation at 161 N. Shamrock, East Alton 62024.

• Granite City – The 34^th Tri-City Labor Day Parade will march at 10 a.m. on Labor Day from downtown Granite City to Wilson Park, where a picnic will include live music, speeches, food, refreshments, kids’ activities and the awarding of parade prizes.

Parade assembly begins at 8 a.m. on State Street between Niedringhaus and 18^th streets.

The Federation is asking union locals participating in either Granite City or Alton to contribute $1 per member to help cover the costs, or whatever the locals can afford. Also, union logo items can be donated for attendance prizes.

For more information or to make arrangements, contact organizers Rick Wieckhorst at 618-254-1395 or Mike Fultz at 618-931-7212.

• Belleville – The parade will organize at 9 a.m. on Labor Day in the fourth block of South First Street and step off at 10 a.m. The Labor Day Parade will follow at Hough Park.

The Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council asks that all vehicles, floats, tractors and ATVs be union-made and in place by 8 a.m. For more information, call Council President Bill Thurston at 618-973-3226.

The parade will have no animals, motorcycles, homemade go-carts or mini-bikes, and all candy and beads thrown must be American made.