On the first Monday of September, we celebrate a federal holiday named, Labor Day.  New York City has been celebrating this holiday since September 5, 1882 but it wasn’t promoted to a Federal Holiday until 1894.

It is perhaps fitting that it is named Labor Day because President Grover Cleveland pushed for it to be made into a federal holiday after 13 striking Railroad Workers were killed and 57 were wounded by U.S. Military and U.S. Marshal troops during the bloody end of the Pullman Strike.

The U.S. Congress signed into law this holiday of reconciliation just six days after the end of the strike to try and head-off any further unrest among the nations Labor Movement.

Few American citizens have any clue as to the beginnings of this holiday, that now most often is thought of as the end of summer.

It has become a great excuse for bar-b-ques, the last hurrah for many summer activities and marks the start of the college football season the weekend of Labor Day and the NFL season usually the Thursday after.

Information for this article gleaned from Wikipedia

CHECK OUT DOUG’S WEBSITE AT   www.countrymusicclassics.com

STORY   BEHIND   THE   SONG

A lot of hit songs are actual slices of life from the writer’s past and according to Johnny Rodriguez, his 1973 number one, “Ridin’ My Thumb To Mexico” was one of those tunes!

Rodriguez commented,” That was my first time to write a song by myself and I wrote it on the bus. I don’t remember where we were going to or coming from but that song was written just ridin’ down the highway. I got to thinking about that summer when I was growin’ up in South Texas. We used to hitch hike everywhere and even hitch hiked  to Mexico a few times and that’s where the idea for that song came from!”

“Ridin’ My Thumb To Mexico” entered the country music charts August `18^th, 1973 and was at the top of the charts October 13^th and stayed there for two weeks.

It was his 3^rd charted song and his second number one.

The Mercury records single also scored  a # 70 on the pop music charts.

The record was produced by Jerry Kennedy.

QUESTIONS    AND    ANSWERS

QUESTION:   Do you have any information concerning Willie Nelson songs being put in space? My son said he heard about it on the radio.

ANSWER: NASA is currently letting fans vote on which songs should be played to wake up the astronauts in space on the upcoming final mission of the space shuttle program, and Alan’s “Where I Come From” and Willie’s “On the Road Again” are among the contenders. To vote, go to  SongContest.NASA.gov.

QUESTION:    I heard that one of Reba McEntire’s dresses is for sale. Is that true?

ANSWER:       The green dress that Reba wore for the 2010 CMT Music Awards  is now up for bid on eBay to benefit the Kenya Island Missions through Thursday. It’s listed as item number 180553365771.

QUESTION:    The radio folks were talking about Barbara Mandrell doing some kind of gathering for an African mission. Do you have any details?

ANSWER: Barbara, ,Louise and Irlene Mandrell will reunite as the Mandrell Sisters on Thursday, September 2 at the Nashville Palace, in support of S.E.E.K. (Suba Environmental Education of Kenya), to help raise funds for those in need in that African nation.S.E.E.K. provides opportunities for the people of Kenya by addressing urgent issues of poverty, hunger and disease in a Biblical and environmentally literate way, to bring about transformation of their communities.

“Country Music Classics”  is made possible only by donations from subscribers like you. If you enjoy receiving this newsletter, please support us by sending a check payable to “Country Music Classics”  for any amount to:

Doug Davis—Country Music Classics—3702 Pleasant Grove Road-Texarkana, Texas 75503.  Or use   PAYPAL  ( http://www.paypal.com ) and donate (via your account or their secure credit card site) directly thru our email address (classics@countrymusicclassics.com). Thank you.

If you wish to make a contribution but do not have a Pay Pal account, you may use any major credit card and donate thru our secure Pro Pay account.

QUESTION:    There was a song on the radio several years ago by a guy singing about a girl named “Kay.” Do you know his name? Was the song a big hit?

ANSWER:       “Kay” scored a # 9 for John Wesley Ryles in 1968. He re-recorded the song in 1978 and the second version peaked at # 50

QUESTION:    My dad has a record of “The Ballad Of The Green Berets.” The label is worn off but he said it was an actual soldier singing on the record. Is that true?

ANSWER:     “The Ballad Of The Green Berets” scored a # 2 in 1966 for Sgt. Barry Sadler, who served as a Staff Sergeant of U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) in Viet Nam. Sadler died of heart failure in 1989

QUESTION:   My aunt says that Jeannie Seely is not her real name. Is that true?

ANSWER:      Jeannie was born Marilyn Jeanne Seely in Titusville, Pa. in 1940.

NUMBER  ONE  ON  THIS  DATE:

1944
Soldier’s Last Letter – Ernest Tubb

1952
It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels – Kitty Wells

1960
Alabam – Cowboy Copas

1968
Mama Tried – Merle Haggard

1976
(I’m A) Stand by My Woman Man – Ronnie Milsap

1984
Let’s Fall to Pieces Together – George Strait

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced that consumers can now go online and check the complaint history of any company or business that has generated complaints to his department.

The Florida Highway Patrol will participate in the national Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. campaign joining thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation from Aug. 20 – Sept. 6 to reduce the number of impaired drivers on Florida’s roadways in an effort to save lives.

“Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but also the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant,” said FHP Director, Colonel John Czernis. “Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work and dozens of other expenses. Do not take the chance. Remember, if you are over the limit, you can expect to be under arrest.”

The campaign encompasses the Labor Day holiday weekend, which begins Sept. 3. The holiday caps off the summer season for many, and historically travel increases with people driving to celebrate with friends and family. In addition to the national enforcement campaign, the Patrol will participate in  Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) during the four-day holiday weekend. The operation involves all 50 state police and highway patrol organizations across the United States.
All uniformed FHP personnel, including those normally assigned to administrative duties, will patrol interstates and other major state roads during the four-day holiday period. FHP Auxiliary and Reserve troopers also will volunteer to augment the Patrol this weekend. The Patrol aims to increase its presence throughout Florida in an effort to deter traffic violations and to enhance services to motorists who break down while traveling or who need other assistance. Please remember to dial *FHP (*347) from your cell phone to contact FHP to report an aggressive or impaired driver or to request roadside assistance.

The Patrol reminds motorists that Florida’s primary safety belt law authorizes law enforcement officers to stop and cite motorists solely for failure to buckle up. Also, be sure to move over for stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights on the side of the road. If you are unable to change lanes safely, slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit, or to five mph if the speed limit is 20 mph or less.

information from a August 19, 2010 press release by Capt. Mark Welch of the Florida Highway Patrol

The website for the 10th annual National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, features “vote for your favorite Book Festival author.” The website is at www.loc.gov/bookfest/.

Book-lovers will be able to select from among the roughly 500 authors who have appeared at the nine previous National Book Festivals, or will appear at this year’s festival, using an alphabetical listing or voting from the page that includes each author’s biography and photograph. The top 10 vote-getters will be displayed on the voting page, with daily updates.

“One of the ways we’re observing the 10th year of the festival, celebrating ‘A Decade of Words and Wonder,’ is to make our festival website more interactive and lively,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “We’ve had a wealth of authors at the festival, and this is one more way for their fans to show their allegiance.”

The website also has new multimedia offerings?including clips from interviews with past Book Festival authors?and a countdown clock ticking away the days, hours and minutes remaining until the festival opens.

More than 70 authors now are slated to appear at the event on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010. The event, free and open to the public, will run from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., situated between 3rd and 7th streets on the National Mall.

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, the First Lady, are honorary chairs of the event.

To celebrate this touchstone anniversary, the festival will also feature several special events during the week preceding the festival day.

The 2010 National Book Festival poster, by renowned illustrator Peter Ferguson, can be downloaded from the festival website.

Authors and illustrators scheduled to participate in the National Book Festival will make their presentations in the History & Biography, Fiction & Mystery, Poetry & Prose, Contemporary Life, Children and Teens & Children pavilions.

• History & Biography: Adele Logan Alexander, Timothy Egan, Jules Feiffer, Wil Haygood, David E. Hoffman, Richard Holmes, James McGrath Morris, Nell Irvin Painter, David Remnick, Steven V. Roberts, Stacy Schiff, Evan Thomas and Gordon S. Wood
• Fiction & Mystery: Isabel Allende, Ken Follett, Diana Gabaldon, Julia Glass, Martha Grimes, Elizabeth Kostova, Anchee Min, Karin Slaughter, Scott Spencer, Peter Straub and Scott Turow
• Poetry & Prose: Elizabeth Alexander, Rae Armantrout, Jonathan Franzen, Gail Godwin, Allegra Goodman, Chang-rae Lee, Thomas Mallon, Orhan Pamuk, Jane Smiley and Natasha Trethewey
• Contemporary Life: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Gurcharan Das, Ree Drummond, Bruce Feiler, Jonathan Safran Foer, Spike Mendelsohn, Michele Norris, Richard Rhodes, Henry Petroski, Craig Robinson, Anita Silvey, Harold Varmus and Edward O. Wilson.
• Children: Mary Brigid Barrett, Timothy Basil Ering, Jules Feiffer, Mem Fox, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Norton Juster, Pat Mora, Marilyn Nelson, Linda Sue Park, Jerry Pinkney, James Ransome, Judith Viorst and Rosemary Wells
• Teens & Children: M.T. Anderson, Michael Buckley, Suzanne Collins, Margarita Engle, Peter Ferguson, Phillip M. Hoose, Brad Meltzer, Katherine Paterson, Jane Smiley, Jeff Smith and Rebecca Stead

Festival-goers can meet and hear firsthand from their favorite authors, purchase books, have books signed, take photos with PBS storybook characters and participate in a variety of learning activities.

The 2010 National Book Festival is made possible through the generous support of Co-Chairman, National Book Festival Board David M. Rubenstein; Charter Sponsors Target and The Washington Post; Patrons AT&T, Institute of Museum and Library Services, The James Madison Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and PBS KIDS Raising Readers; Contributors Borders, Digital Bookmobile powered by OverDrive, Penguin Group (USA), ReadAloud.org, Scholastic Inc., and the Library of Congress Federal Credit Union; and Friends The Hay-Adams and National Endowment for the Humanities. Thanks also to C-SPAN2’s Book TV and The Junior League of Washington.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

photo courtesy of DEP

With August more than halfway over, now is the time for paddler enthusiasts to strap on their life jackets and make plans to participate in the upcoming kayaking events for the 2010/2011 paddling season. Kicking off the season in Cedar Key on September 18 is the first ever Hidden Coast Paddling Festival which runs through September 25. The eight-day event begins Saturday at dawn with the First Annual Kayak Fishing Tournament. Afternoon weigh-in will be followed by a clam bake hosted by the Cedar Key Aquaculture Association – free to participants, and later paddlers will be treated to Movies in the Park featuring A River Runs Through It, directed by Robert Redford. On Sunday, a guided paddling/walking tour of Atsena Otie will precede the departure to the Suwannee River.

Festival events on Monday will include paddling from Fanning to Manatee Springs followed by movies and socializing during the afternoon and evening. On Tuesday paddlers will embark on a guided trip into the backwaters of the Suwannee River Delta. Tuesday evening, the Suwannee Chamber of Commerce will host a Chicken and Rice dinner with all the ‘fixin’s’ followed by a presentation by Eye of the Eagle Wildlife Sanctuary veterinarian Dr. Dawn Miller, featuring live birds.

Wednesday’s event begins at Horseshoe Beach with breakfast optional in the Horseshoe Beach Café, followed by self-guided tours to Shired Island and/or Butler Island. Dinner will be available for menu prices and two local historians will share information about the area. Thursday morning the Horseshoe Beach Library will provide a pancake breakfast (library donations will be gratefully accepted). Kayak adventures include two separate trips – one to Fireworks Island, the other to Butler Island.

On Thursday evening a ‘Meet & Greet’ will be held at Steinhatchee’s River Haven Marina. Friday’s breakfast is scheduled for 6 a.m. with paddling on your own to follow. Dinner will be available at the River House for $7. Saturday the 25th, breakfast begins the final day of festival paddling. To learn more about the first annual Hidden Coast Paddling Festival and about paddlers’ dinner discounts, go to http://hiddencoast.net/hcpf1.html.

Next on the paddling calendar is the tried and true, and always exciting, Calusa Blueway Festival to be held October 29-November 7, 2010, www.calusabluewaypaddlingfestival.com. Other paddling adventures, arranged by Paddle Florida who is known for its guided group trips on the Suwannee River, include an ambitious schedule covering regions throughout the state. Between Christmas and New Year’s, December 27-30, 2010 a 36-mile paddling trip down the Wekiva and St. Johns rivers is planned. This is closely followed by the second annual 42-mile Peace River trip over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, January 14-17, 2011. The Florida Keys is on tap for President’s Day weekend, February 18-21, 2011. And spring break for many college students works in well for the seven-day Ochlockonee River trip in the Big Bend, March 12-18, 2011. For more information, log on to http://www.paddleflorida.com/. To learn more about the state’s longest and most ambitious sea kayaking trail, the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/paddling/saltwater.htm.

I would really like to cruise around campus in this.

Music Monday – Rock and R&B Headlines