CEDARVILLE — Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end to summer, but many people don’t know that the holiday has a big connection to a small town in Greene County.
The town of Cedarville calls themselves “the home of Labor Day.”
Cedarville residents will tell you Labor Day came to be thanks to a Greene County man named James Kyle.
Kyle was born in 1854 and lived in Cedarville until he was 11.
>> Labor Day Travel: How troopers are planning to keep drivers safe this holiday weekend
He served as the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor and on Aug. 23 1893 introduced a bill that would recognize the first Monday in September of every year as “Labor’s Holiday.”
President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law June 28, 1894, declaring Labor Day a national legal holiday.
The village celebrates the holiday each year with a community festival called “Cedarfest” from 8 a.m.- 10 p.m. Saturday through Monday.