Families staying home for Labor Day weekend kick it Philly style in Fairmount Park

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) The city is abuzz this holiday weekend with picnics, cookouts, pool parties and celebrations of all kinds. A number of those gatherings landed in Fairmount Park, including the ultimate Labor Day cookout on Belmont Plateau.

“We’re expecting about 200 to 300 people for a Labor Day Nigerian convention,” said Ikenna Anyanwu. “We have people coming from all over the country to celebrate, and we’re looking to have a good time.”

He says the day is all about a blend of cultures. The cookout, which is open to all, is a chance for people to learn about Nigerian culture.

“We have some traditional American food. We have hot dogs, hamburgers. But we also have some jollof rice, Nigerian baked chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, all the things you’d expect at a traditional BBQ,” said Anyanwu.

He says the plateau is the perfect location for an end-of-summer celebration.

“Belmont plateau is a staple in Philly, and we thought, ‘Where else better?’ You know, we have a view of the skyline and we just wanted people coming into the city to have a good idea of what Philly has to offer.”

Beaches and theme parks may be packed across the country this weekend. And airports, highways, may be choked when this record-breaking summer of travel ends. The Transportation Security Administration has predicted its agents will have screened more than 17 million people from last week Thursday ro this week Wednesday — about 8% more than last year.

But some families like to avoid all that and keep it closer to home. Terry Bevins and her niece Nicole Dickens were up at the crack of dawn on Sunday, setting up their family’s annual reunion and Labor Day cookout at Fairmount Park.

“You name it, we got it,” said Bevins.

“Burgers, hotdogs, sausages, bbq chicken, macaroni salad, corn on the cob, potato salad,” said Dickens.

Bevins says the annual family tradition is something they do to help everyone stay close, by catching up and recapping their summer.

“We been doing it before I was born,” she said. “I’m 62. My grandparents did it. They brought my mother and her sisters out. There was nine of them.”

That cookout has now grown to more than 100 people. And they end their day every year by gathering on the steps of the Please Touch Museum for a family photo.

“We have everybody. It takes a few minutes. We scream, ‘It’s picture time!’”

She says it’s a good feeling to be part of the tradition. “After I’m gone, they get to pass it on.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.