A Day Off

Today is Labor Day. Therefore, labor — especially the mental, stuck-in-the-cubicle kind — probably isn't on your agenda. Even so, you oughta roll out of bed before 11 a.m. That's when the Greater Kansas City Labor Day Parade begins at the intersection of Main and Pershing. Highlights: big-ass construction equipment, shiny new cars that were assembled in the metro, baton twirlers, clowns and fancy floats. Also, President Harry S. Truman will climb out of the grave to be the parade's grand marshal. (Just kidding, it's actually Truman impersonator Neal Johnson.) The parade winds down at 12:30, making way for a party on the south lawn of Liberty Memorial. Outlaw Junkies and other country acts will jam all afternoon, firefighters will sell hot dogs, and skydivers and motocross riders will demonstrate death-defying stunts. Lawn chairs and blankets are recommended. For information, see gkc-laborday-parade.com.
Mon., Sept. 1, 11 a.m., 2008