Like it or not, the days getting shorter and the Back to School sales at retailers are in full swing. And that can only mean one thing: Labor Day, and the unofficial end of summer, are right around the corner.

Labor Day takes place this year on Monday, Sept. 5, and Michigan has numerous events scheduled to celebrate the holiday. Following is some of what's going on:

Detroit: For building trades union members and their supporters, a line of march on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, will proceed as usual, east along Michigan Avenue toward Campus Martius downtown. The building trades will line up before the parade, as usual, along Trumbull Ave. south of Michigan Ave. The parade will start at 9 a.m.

The Detroit parade lineup is as follows, with the positions of local unions chosen randomly:

1. Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers

2. Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons

3. Boilermakers

4. Sheet Metal Workers

5. Elevator Constructors

6. Roofers and Waterproofers

7. Painters and Allied Trades

8. Iron Workers

9. Laborers

10. Michigan Regional Carpenters Council

11. United Association of Plumbers, Pipe Fitters and Sprinkler Fitters

12. Heat and Frost Insulators

13. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

14. International Brotherhood of Teamsters

15. Operating Engineers

Grand Rapids: This is the seventh year for the West Michigan Labor Fest, which will be held at Ah-Nab-Awen Park near the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, off of Pearl St., one block east of U.S. 131. The day’s events will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Labor Day around the “Spirit of Solidarity” monument in the park.

               Activities include free admission to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, live music, food vendors and a beer tent, kids’ activities, labor displays and an American-made car and motorcycle show.

 Ishpeming: The Labor Day Festival will be held in Ishpeming on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5. The festival will begin with a parade at 11 am, along Euclid Street, Main Street, Division Street and Lakeshore Drive. A picnic and rally from noon to 4 p.m. will be at the Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum (Marquette Range Iron Mining Heritage Theme Park) and the Lake Bancroft Park on Lakeshore Drive and Euclid Streets. A picnic lunch will be available for $6.

The theme for this year is “Bridging Generations of Labor”.

Local unions will be marching and entering floats in the parade that reflect this theme. Marq Tran will be providing transportation to and from Ishpeming from both the Marquette (JC Penney Mall parking lot) and Negaunee (Lakeview School parking lot).

The Monroe/Lenawee Central Labor Council is sponsoring a Monroe Labor Day parade on Saturday, Sept. 3, in conjunction with the 10th Annual River Raisin Labor Day BBQ Festival, with food and live music.

The 1.7 mile parade departs at noon. (Parade participants should be present no later than 10:30 a.m.) The parade begins at Jones Avenue and proceeds west and north onto Monroe Street, and end at St. Mary’s Park (corner of Monroe/Elm).

Muskegon: The West Michigan United Labor Day Parade will start at 11 a.m. Participants must be in the staging area, at 4th Street and Clay Ave., by 10 a.m.  Parking for parade participants will be available at Heritage Landing.

The parade starts at the intersection of 4th street and Western Avenue. It will progress down Western Avenue to Jefferson Street (turning right) and head towards Clay Avenue. Organizers are planning a post-parade celebration, including lunch, refreshments, cotton candy, face painting, bounce houses and arts and crafts. 

St. Ignace: The 59th annual five-mile walk over the Mackinac Bridge begins at about 7 a.m. on Labor Day. Walkers are allowed to start until 11 a.m.  The walk starts in St. Ignace, and shuttle buses ($5) are available for the return trip from Mackinaw City. The Mackinac Bridge Authority strongly advises walkers to arrange for their own transportation to the starting point because of the increasing demand on the buses. The Labor Day Bridge Walk attracts up to 65,000 people to the Mighty Mac.