'Tis the season for fall fun
It was a glorious weekend here in Marion County. The cooler temperatures served as a reminder that fall is just around the corner and with that comes all the activities that make autumn in Marion County so wonderful.
In fact, one might say that Labor Day weekend kicks off the whole activity-laden month of September for folks in the county.
To begin with, the Marion High School Warriors turned out Friday night to open the football season against the Halstead Dragons. It was a beautiful night for football and while the Warriors weren't victorious, we look forward to following the home team through the season.
A reminder — Guys, when the band plays "The Star-Spangled Banner," remove your caps. It's our national anthem. Show respect.
The weekend was chock-full of activities at Florence in celebration of their annual Labor Day festival. Hundreds of people were on hand during some part of the weekend to participate in kids' games, musical entertainment, a barbecue cook-off, street dance, and parade.
Marion County firefighters put on a first-class fireworks show Sunday night at the Marion County Lake. Before that, they served food and entertained youngsters.
The event was a success — raising more than $6,000 for the firefighters' training facility they hope to build in the future.
With all these things behind us, we have a few days to catch our breaths before we gear up for Art in the Park on Sept. 16 when we'll welcome thousands of people to Marion to spend the day in Central Park.
Then we'll set our sights on Warrior Stadium and MHS Homecoming, scheduled for Sept. 22 when the Warriors will play host to Haven.
After that, we'll get ready for Old Settlers' Day Sept. 30, when we welcome all the old settlers who come back for a brief glimpse at the Marion those of us who live here get to experience every day — winter, spring, summer, and fall.
— DONNA BERNHARDT
