Summer’s Last Gasp – Labor Day Events at Gozaic (Part 1)

If you think summer has passed you by, don’t despair! It’s not too late to get out and enjoy one last weekend worth remembering. From the excitement of buffalo wing eating to the relaxation of a jazz festival, Labor Day weekend is full of opportunities for fun. Check out these events at participating Gozaic partners. If you go, be sure to return to Gozaic and share your review and photos.

Colorado Balloon Classic
Colorado Springs, Colorado, Sept. 4-6, 2010
See nearly 100 colorful hot air balloons ascend into the blue sky at the Colorado Balloon Classic with Pikes Peak as a backdrop. Highlights include the dramatic Balloon Glo, food, merchandise, children's play area, "Balloon Mail" and a children's reading program.

Labor Day Jazz Festival
Wilmington, Delaware, Sept. 4-7, 2010
Celebrate this Labor Day weekend with cool wines and hot jazz at the Chaddsford Winery Jazz Festival. Pack a picnic or purchase gourmet delights from on-site vendors, then sample Chaddsford’s award-winning wines while you listen to two live jazz bands perform each day, Saturday through Monday.

Cane River Zydeco Festival & Poker Run
Natchitoches, Louisiana, Sept. 3-4, 2010
The Magnolia State Peace Officers Association will host the 11th annual Cane River Zydeco Festival in downtown Natchitoches. Festivities on Friday include a Zydeco Dance Contest and entertainment by D.J. “L.A.” Jones. Events on Saturday begin with a Poker Run through Natchitoches Parish, followed by evening entertainment by D.C. & The Zydeco Country Boyz and Leon Chavis & Zydeco Flames.

Elko County Fair & Horse Races
Elko, Nevada, Sept. 3-6, 2010
The Elko County Fair & Horse Races are held every year at the Elko County Fairgrounds, just minutes from downtown Elko, Nevada. Bet on the thoroughbred and quarter horse races or enjoy the fun of an old-time country fair, including traditional 4-H home arts, stock horse competitions, bull riding and hot iron branding competitions.

National Buffalo Wing Festival
Buffalo, New York, Sept. 4-5, 2010
Forty tons of chicken wings! That’s how many the National Buffalo Wing Festival went through last year! Make a pilgrimage to the Home of the Wing on Labor Day Weekend to sample wings from across the country and witness the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championship.

41st Rugby Village Pilgrimage
Historic Rugby, Tennessee, Sept. 4, 2010
One of the largest historic building tours in East Tennessee, the Rugby Village Pilgrimage encompasses more than 20 historic properties, including museums, lodgings and private historic and new period homes. Period demonstrations held throughout the day.

Traditional Craft Saturday -- Pottery with Ara Cardew
Billings Farm, Woodstock, Vermont, Sept. 4, 2010
Billings Farm & Museum, gateway to Vermont’s rural heritage, will feature Traditional Craft Saturdays each Saturday in September. Visitors are invited to explore a series of Vermont crafts – their history, process and uses, through informal learning and discovery. On Sept. 4, it’s Pottery with Ara Cardew, a third-generation potter, who will demonstrate pottery making using hand techniques and a potter’s wheel. Visitors are invited to try their hand at the wheel.

Blues, Bluegrass and Barbecue
Lexington, Virginia, Sept. 4, 2010
The Labor Day concert tradition returns, with a fun evening featuring barbecue and bluegrass music performed by Walker’s Run and Borden Grant. Located in the ruins of a 19th- century lime kiln and quarry, this Lexington theater creates a magical setting for outdoor events.

Look for more Labor Day events and activities tomorrow in Part 2 of this series.

Photos top to bottom:
Colorado Springs Colorado Balloon Classic. Photo courtesy of Colorado Springs CVB.

Labor Day Jazz Festival at the Chaddsford Winery. Photo courtesy of Greater Wilmington CVB.

Cane River Zydeco Festival & Poker Run. Photo courtesy of Natchitoches Area CVB.

Although many things have changed since the 1920s, one thing remains a constant – the hoof pounding excitement of the ponies racing down the stretch at the Elko County Fair & Horse Races. Photo courtesy of Elko CVA.

National Buffalo Wing Festival, Buffalo, New York. Photo courtesy of KC Kratt.

Gibbs residence. Photo courtesy of Historic Rugby.

Ara Cardew demonstrates pottery making at Billings Farm & Museum and lets visitors try their hand at the potter’s wheel during Traditional Craft Saturday. Photo courtesy of Billings Farm & Museum.

Walker’s Run performs at the Theater at Lime Kiln, Lexington Virginia. Photo courtesy of the Lexington and Rockbridge CVA.