GREENE – In the early hours of Labor Day morning the downtown Village of Greene will be invaded by thousands of people coming to participate in one of the largest celebrations the community holds.
“The first was held in 1919 and if my math is correct this will be our 88th annual Labor Day Celebration,” said the President of the Greene Labor Day Association Inc., Byron Miller. Originally, it was a celebration of the harvest but has evolved into a community picnic attracting up to 20,000 people.
Greene’s Genesee Street will host the beginning of the event Monday as fire crews meet for a watery show down along the main drag. Crews will battle with their companies fire hoses in hopes of earning themselves local bragging rights by pushing a large ball down to their opponents side with nothing but water pressure.
“That’s only the beginning, we have something for everybody, all kinds of food, four live bands, the parade, fireworks, horse rides, carnival rides, sporting events and we’ve also got a great weather forecast for the weekend,” said Miller. The event will also include a number of other features such as the tractor pull of yesteryear, an antique car display, bingo, an Elvis impersonator, Ross Park Zoo Mobile and the 3rd annual high noon duck race.
A 10 a.m., the parade will start at the Raymond’s parking lot, head down South Canal Street to Genesee, ending on North Chenango. The marching bands and local organizations will end at the midway on the flats, which will stay open late into the evening eventually leading to a fire works send off.
Miller said all the money raised from the games and rides during the day goes to area youth.
Although many of the main events start Monday the carnival rides will open Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m. The Saturday event will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 11 p.m. Parking is free and there is no cost for admission.

e-mail: tmurphy@evesun.com