Labor Day Politicking

We often find living in a small town difficult, but our particular small town here in Virginia possesses unique qualities. For example, it plays host to numerous events, including a yearly Blue Grass Festival and a yearly Fiddler's Convention. Another great tradition, we participated in today. Labor Day is huge in Buena Vista. It all starts, for us, near Glenn Maury Park (where all of these festivals usually take place) for the annual Labor Day 5k. I ran it solo with the boys last year, but Leah Marie joined us today. I pushed the boys in a stroller again, and surprised myself with the number and quality of people we passed. Leah Marie ran her first 5k in nearly two years, and her first without pushing a stroller since John was born. It was humid; it kicked our butts; but it was fun. As soon as we were done with the race, we drove to the middle school to find a group of paraders (Did I forget to mention that there is a huge Labor Day parade, too?) supporting Democratic candidate for US Senate, Tim Kaine. We marched in the parade as fellow supporters all the way back to Glenn Maury Park, where everyone gathered under the pavilion for political speeches by multiple candidates, mostly Democrats and Republicans. This is a huge event, complete with carnival-style games and a lot of fair-style food (is there any better?). Essentially, Labor Day is the kick off of the Fall political season/race in Virginia, and the place it always kicks off in the state of Virginia is the small town of Buena Vista. We had so much fun. Yes, the run followed by another four miles round trip of walking exhausted us, but we loved participating. There is nothing like getting involved in the community. You feel a part of something, and some part of you feels as if you can make a difference.