In years past, Labor Day, that dreaded first Monday in September, signaled the absolute end. Procrastinating vacationers hurried home. School children sullenly put away sand buckets and surfboards and focused on school.
For all the hoopla about Labor Day, the name never really made sense.
“Non-Labor Day” seemed more correct, as businesses gave workers that final summer day off to picnic and pack up.
When Labor Day rolled around, it signaled summer was a done deal.
The concept of Labor Day has been around since the late 1800s. It was a creation of the labor movement in the United States, originally dedicated to the achievements of U.S. workers. By late 1894, Congress made it a legal holiday, paving the way for a century-plus of long-weekend road trips, festivals and cookouts on the first Monday in September.
But there’s a little problem here with Labor Day.
On Anna Maria Island, that summer-feeling doesn’t end.
So what does Labor Day look like on Anna Maria Island?
A large slice of islanders will be furnishing the fun for visitors to the island during the holiday weekend.
Katy Schmoll, guest services representative for Tradewinds Resort, 1603 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach, reports accommodations bookings are nearing no-vacancy mode for the long weekend.
“Tradewinds Resort and our sister properties at Anna Maria Island Resort Accommodations are getting very full. We only have five rooms out of 30 left at Tradewinds, and that’s pretty much it all over. We are packed on Labor Day weekend.”
Schmoll said there was usually a three-day minimum at the AMI Resort properties.
The leisure rental companies expect to be busy checking bicycles, paddleboards, golf carts and kayaks in and out. Advance reservations are high for the adventure amenities that make an island break exciting for visiting families.
The Waterfront Restaurant, 111 S. Bay Blvd., Anna Maria, is already heavily booked for the long weekend, both Saturday and Sunday nights.
“We have 60 reservations and then 55 the next day,” host Tammy Munsen said with a week left to go until the holiday weekend officially kicks off. “That translates to a lot of diners. It’s going to be very busy.”
Though they won’t be celebrating a lazy day off, it seems islanders will be enjoying the rewards of their “labor.”
Tourists to Anna Maria Island may be fishing off local piers and beaches, riding horses on Palma Sola, piloting a Segway, or downing a frozen rum concoction at a bar with a waterfront view.
Meanwhile, record receipts tally up and visitor numbers to the area continue to skyrocket, breaking record after monthly record.
Many resorts and restaurants were shuttered in September for repairs and respite up through the 1980s.
For the locals now having to work, don’t worry, be happy: Endless summer here, remember?
That first Monday in September is just another day on Anna Maria Island. Come Tuesday, islanders already will have regrouped, had morning coffee, wiped off the bikes, refilled the bait tanks, strolled the beach for turtle tracks and started another week in paradise.